AC Milan will play their ultimate recreation of 2023 on Saturday night as they welcome Sassuolo to San Siro, seeking to bounce again after a foul consequence a couple of days prior.
Milan needed to accept a 2-2 draw in opposition to the bottom-placed facet Salernitana on Friday evening, with a late Luka Jovic strike incomes them a degree. It has Stefano Pioli and the crew below strain as soon as once more after the wins over Newcastle and Monza.
Pioli spoke in his pre-match press convention and he insisted that he doesn’t really feel strain concerning his place, as a substitute focusing extra on making certain his facet put in the very best efficiency potential.
Sport date: Saturday, December 30
Kick-off time: 18:00 (CET)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Livio Marinelli (VAR: Meraviglia)
Group information
Milan have ended 2023 in a really acquainted trend to how all the calendar yr has gone, with inconsistency the important thing phrase. The three-2 loss away at Atalanta was adopted by wins over Newcastle and Monza, however then dropped factors one week in the past in opposition to Salernitana who haven’t received a recreation.
Many gamers stay unavailable for Pioli, together with Marco Sportiello, Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori, Marco Pellegrino, Mattia Caldara, Yunus Musah, Tommaso Pobega and Noah Okafor. Luka Jovic was a doubt after struggling a blow to his ankle in Salerno, however he ought to be accessible.
The reliance on the Primavera merchandise is more likely to proceed with Francesco Camarda tipped to get a spot on the bench simply over a month after his record-breaking debut. Jan-Carlo Simic, Alex Jimenez, Davide Bartesaghi, Lapo Nava, Clinton Nsiala, Chaka Traore and Kevin Zeroli ought to all make the bench.
In keeping with the newest from numerous sources, Pioli is more likely to depend on a defence that features Mike Maignan between the posts, Davide Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi as full-backs then Simon Kjaer and Theo Hernandez because the centre-backs.
From midfield upwards Pioli ought to hold the identical starters seen in Salerno, with Ismael Bennacer between Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders, the Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao flanking Olivier Giroud in assault.
Possible Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Theo, Florenzi; Loftus-Cheek, Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao.
The opponents
After securing a top-half end in 2020-21, Sassuolo dropped off barely of their final two campaigns, ending eleventh in 2021-22 and thirteenth final season.
The Neroverdi had fairly an expansive summer season switch window as they paid out €20m to Inter for Andrea Pinamonti, €10m to Frosinone for Daniel Boloca, and over €5m for every of Luca Lipani, Cristian Volpato, Nedim Bajrami and Samuele Mulattieri.
Three large gross sales helped to finance this: Manuel Locatelli’s mortgage to Juventus turned everlasting for €30m, Giacomo Raspadori’s mortgage to Napoli turned everlasting for €26m, whereas Hamed Junior Traore went to Bournemouth for round €25m.
Added to that’s the sale of Davide Frattesi to Inter in a mortgage with obligation to purchase deal, persevering with Sassuolo’s repute as a membership not afraid of cashing in on their greatest gamers for the correct worth, and playing on expertise to switch them.
This season has been extra of a battle once more as they sit in fifteenth place within the Serie A desk earlier than a ball has been kicked in spherical 18, with simply 4 wins from 17 video games and a -7 aim distinction.
Berardi continues to be their large risk and he loves a recreation at San Siro, however Sassuolo head coach Alessio Dionisi was non-committal concerning whether or not he’ll play as a result of he has been struggling in sickness.
“Domenico didn’t practice the day after the match as a result of he was ailing, then he did all of the coaching with the crew. Fingers crossed as a result of he was there in opposition to Genoa, he fell ailing the evening earlier than the match, I can’t give a solution on this,” he stated.
Sassuolo nonetheless have fairly a couple of different gamers out too, with Uros Racic, Daniel Boloca, Gregoire Defrel, Matias Vina and Mattia Viti all anticipated to take a seat out the sport.
The newest studies recommend a 4-2-3-1 with Consigli in aim, Toljan-Erlic-Tressoldi-Pedersen because the again 4, a double pivot of Henrique and Thorstvedt, then Berardi, Castillejo and Lauriente behind Pinamonti.
Possible Sassuolo XI (4-2-3-1): Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi, Pedersen; Henrique, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Castillejo, Lauriente; Pinamonti.
Face to face
Sassuolo have earned the repute of being a bogey facet not only for Milan however for different high golf equipment in Serie A since their debut within the high flight. Milan have performed them 21 occasions throughout all competitions, profitable 11 however dropping seven, with three attracts.
The final assembly was a 5-2 defeat at San Siro in January, a humiliating consequence and one of many lowest factors of final season, one which put Pioli’s job in danger simply as it’s now.
The very first match between the Neroverdi and the Rossoneri which ended 4-3 for the Emilians, led to the dismissal of Max Allegri got here. Between these two matches there may be one fixed: Domenico Berardi, who loves dealing with Milan.
In fact, one reminiscence that stands out for Milanista is the 3-0 win on the Mapei Stadium within the ultimate spherical of the 2021-22 season, one which sealed the nineteenth Scudetto.
Match details…
➤ Towards no crew Milan are on a present longer streak of consecutive dwelling defeats in Serie A than in opposition to Sassuolo (three – equal with Napoli).
➤ Milan have received 10 Serie A matches this season and in every of the final three Serie A seasons they’ve at all times exceeded this variety of wins within the first 18 league video games performed of the season: 13 in 2020-21, 12 in 2021-22 and 11 in 2022-23.
➤ Milan have stored 9 dwelling clear sheets matches in 2023 in Serie A, they final stored extra in a single calendar yr in dwelling matches within the competitors in 2014 (10 clear sheets in that case).
➤ Sassuolo have solely received 4 video games this season and of their Serie A historical past they’ve managed solely 4 wins or fewer within the first 18 video games performed of the marketing campaign twice: in 2022-23 (4) and in 2013/14 (three).
➤ Milan have conceded 64 targets in 2023 in all competitions, a file for the Rossoneri of their historical past in a single calendar yr (since 1929-30).
➤ Sassuolo conceded 71 targets in 2023 within the league, a file for the Neroverdi in a single calendar yr in Serie A – their earlier file was 70 targets conceded in 2021.
➤ Sassuolo have misplaced 28 factors from profitable positions in Serie A in 2023, not less than two greater than some other top-flight crew because the begin of the calendar yr – 14 of these have been within the present marketing campaign (file within the 2023-24 league).
➤ Olivier Giroud averages a aim each 78 minutes in opposition to Sassuolo (three targets general), his greatest minutes/targets common in Serie A. The French striker is Milan’s high scorer in 2023 throughout all competitions (18 targets) and desires yet one more to match his tally of targets scored within the earlier calendar yr (19 in 2022).
➤ Domenico Berardi has scored 11 targets and supplied seven assists in opposition to Milan in Serie A (18 aim involvements vs the Rossoneri). Amongst present gamers, the one one with a greater file in opposition to a single opponent since 2004-05 within the competitors is Paulo Dybala in opposition to Udinese (19 – 11 targets and eight assists).
Ones to look at
The primary focus for Milan will in fact be on how the makeshift again 4 does, with Kjaer and Theo collectively within the center once more and Florenzi on his much less favoured facet. Bennacer getting a begin in midfield earlier than his departure for AFCON could be a optimistic step too.
Nonetheless, the strain is on two gamers above all: Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud. Leao’s final dwelling aim got here on 23 September in opposition to Verona, 98 days in the past, whereas for Giroud it was August twenty sixth within the 4-1 win over Torino.
Berardi has famously made 18 aim contributions for the Neroverdi in opposition to Milan throughout his time on the membership, together with a four-goal haul in 2014. He has 9 targets and three assists within the league this season, main the way in which simply in aim contributions.
Pinamonti has six targets whereas Thorstvedt has chipped in with a helpful three from midfield. Ferrari and Toljan are very a lot the bastions of the defence having been at Sassuolo since 2016 and 2019 respectively.
Prediction
When their backs are in opposition to the wall, this crew has responded just about each time and we predict they are going to do the identical this time. A clear sheet appears laborious to think about with such a makeshift defence, however three factors are an absolute necessity.
Milan 2-1 Sassuolo