Only a win against Udinese will suffice for a Milan side whose Scudetto hopes are fading fast.

Before the Milan derby on January 24 the Rossoneri were Serie A’s form team, with eight wins from their last nine fixtures and Ronaldinho back to his explosive best. Their dramatic derby defeat has knocked them for six however.

The 2-0 loss to Inter alone wasn’t enough to kill off their title hopes, the problem is that the Diavolo haven’t managed a win in their three fixtures since, drawing with strugglers Livorno and Bologna and losing to this weekend’s opponents Udinese in the Coppa Italia quarters. They are now 11 points behind leaders Inter in third, having been leapfrogged by Roma.

Milan have managed just one goal in their three post-derby fixtures, whereas they bagged 12 in the three games prior to the city showdown. Leonardo must quickly restore his side’s swagger before the season slips away. With the Champions League second round approaching this is the worst possible time to go on a bad run.

Visitors Udinese have had an extremely disappointing campaign to date, but there are two very good reasons to be confident at the Giuseppe Meazza. Firstly there’s last weekend’s 3-1 win over form outfit Napoli, Gianni De Biasi’s first League win in charge of the Zebrette and, coincidently, Walter Mazzarri’s first League defeat since his appointment in Naples.

Then there’s the psychological advantage of having beaten Milan at San Siro so recently in the Coppa. That match ended 1-0, although De Biasi’s team dominated and should have won more comfortably.

Unusually this game will take place on Friday night to allow Milan more time to prepare for the Champions League, a schedule change that could become the norm next season. The Rossoneri remain without Alexandre Pato, Massimo Oddo and Gianluca Zambrotta.

Udinese’s Gaetano D’Agostino, Maurizio Domizzi, Damiano Ferronetti, Chris Obodo and Dusan Basta are also injured.

Keep an eye on: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) – It’s terrifying to think where Udinese would be this term without Di Natale, who has scored 16 of their 26 League goals, making him Serie A’s top scorer ahead of Diego Milito. Toto also netted a hat trick against home town club Napoli last week.

Last five in Serie A: Milan (W W L D D) Udinese (D D L D W)

Last season: Milan 5-1 Udinese