The San Siro plays host to Sunday’s tasty-looking Serie A meeting between joint-leaders Milan and mid-table Sassuolo. The hosts have laid down the foundations for what might be their first league title in a decade, but they can ill-afford complacency after a promising start to the season.
Stakes are high for Milan following back-to-back Serie A matches without winning (D1, L1), as they risk allowing bitter rivals Inter to approach to within a one-point distance with another failed attempt to win. But the Rossoneri will take the field in high spirits after pulling off a heroic 1-0 Champions League victory at Atletico Madrid in midweek.
As for Sassuolo, fears of being sucked into a relegation fight will increase should their underwhelming three-game winless Serie A streak go on here (D1, L2). However, the signs are ominous, with the Neroverdi giving too much away on hostile turf this season, as evidenced by the fact they’ve conceded 2+ goals in five of their six away games to date.
Milan vs Sassuolo Head-to-Head
After falling to a 2-1 loss in this exact fixture back in April, Milan have a point to prove here and show last season’s reverse was a fluke, as they were undefeated in their previous five top-flight H2Hs at the San Siro (W3, D2). To Sassuolo’s credit, they’ve managed to keep the Rossoneri shy in front of goal, conceding one goal or less in their last four league match-ups here.
It’s worth noting that Stefano Pioli’s side had been on a nine-game unbeaten H2H run in Serie A before the abovementioned defeat (W7, D2), which reinforces Milan’s status as pre-match favorites.
Regardless of which side of the spectrum of supporting these sides you stand on, brace yourself for an entertaining, high-scoring affair. The last three top-flight meetings between Milan and Sassuolo have yielded an identical 2-1 scoreline, with the Rossoneri finding themselves on the receiving end once in that spread of games (W2).
Milan Form Preview
Milan have experienced a slight dip in domestic form going into this fixture. They have gone from a seven-match winning Serie A streak to back-to-back league games without a victory (D1, L1), conceding the opening goal on both occasions. Returning to the San Siro, where they are unbeaten in their last eight top-flight games (W6, D2), should lift the spirits in the Rossoneri camp.
Since the end of May, Pioli’s men have registered six triumphs in eight Serie A home fixtures, preserving five clean sheets in the process, a feat second to none in that period. Milan’s hopes of getting back to winning ways will significantly grow if they open the scoring, as they remain the only Serie A side yet to drop points from winning positions this season (10/10).
But Milan should have enough character to bounce back if they fall behind, having lost just one of four Serie A fixtures when conceding first this term (W1, D2, L1). Yet, with just four teams scoring more first-half goals at home than the Rossoneri (7) this season, the hosts will be confident of breaking the deadlock.
Sassuolo Form Preview
Sassuolo strung together a brace of action-packed league wins over Venezia and Juventus in late October but have since gone winless in their last three Serie A outings (D1, L2). A run of poor form has seen I Neroverdi slide to 13th in the league standings, as they now hover only six points clear of the drop zone.
Much of Sassuolo’s recent form woes have emanated from a leaky defense that has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven Serie A outings. What’s more, Alessio Dionisi’s men have yet to register a shutout across six league travels this season, conceding an average of 2.0 goals per game.
Unlike their hosts, Sassuolo have encountered massive problems keeping the lead so far this season, with no side gifting away more points from winning positions than the Neroverdi (13) to date. There’s been plenty of late action in Sassuolo’s away Serie A games this season, with four of five producing at least one goal beyond the 75th minute.
Milan vs Sassuolo Predicted Lineups
Milan (4-2-3-1): Ciprian Tatarusanu; Pierre Kalulu, Alessio Romagnoli, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez; Ismael Bennacer, Franck Kessie; Alexis Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli; Jeremy Toljan, Vlad Chiriches, Gian Marco Ferrari, Rogerio; Maxime Lopez, Francesco Magnanelli; Domenico Berardi, Hamed Traore, Giacomo Raspadori; Gianluca Scamacca.