Wrapping up their schedule for 2023, AC Milan host Sassuolo on Saturday evening, when they aim to recover from their latest setback in the Serie A title race.
Having fallen 12 points behind arch-rivals Inter Milan after drawing down in Salerno, the Rossoneri now return home to San Siro, where this week's opponents have thrived in recent seasons.
Match preview
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Meeting a familiar face in Salernitana boss Pippo Inzaghi, Milan were certainly done no favours by their former goal poacher turned head coach last weekend, when they were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw at Stadio Arechi.
Indeed, it could have been even worse for the second-city giants, who let an early lead slip after Fikayo Tomori opened the scoring - the England defender would later limp off and add to Stefano Pioli's injury woes - and actually trailed heading into the closing stages.
Only a late intervention from back-up striker Luka Jovic salvaged a point for the Rossoneri, but Pioli remains under intense pressure, with his Scudetto triumph of two years ago now all but forgotten.
His side have conceded 64 goals in 2023 across all competitions - a club-record high for a calendar year - and they trail behind both Inter and Juventus in the Italian title race following a mixed run of results.
In addition to their recent Champions League exit, defeats to Udinese and Atalanta have cost Milan dearly, and their remaining aims this term appear to be securing a top-four finish and claiming some silverware in one of the knockout competitions.
For all their inconsistency, the Rossoneri have generally produced their best football on home turf, where they have kept nine clean sheets in the league this year - their best such record since 2014. However, taking that tally into double figures will be easier said than done, as they now face a team that simply loves to visit San Siro.
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Not only have Sassuolo upset Milan on each of their last three trips to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, they will also arrive in Italy's second city with fresh memories of handing league leaders Inter their only home defeat of the season back in September.
However, the Neroverdi sit just three points above Serie A's relegation zone with two games to play until the season's halfway stage, and victory on this occasion seems like a much taller order given recent results.
It was a case of the same old story for Alessio Dionisi's side last weekend, when they went ahead through ex-Inter striker Andrea Pinamonti at home to Genoa but ultimately blew that lead to lose 2-1 against their fellow strugglers, with Caleb Ekuban's late goal again breaking hearts at the Mapei Stadium.
Sassuolo have now lost no less than 28 points from winning positions this year - at least two more than any other Serie A side throughout 2023 - and half of those slip-ups have come during the current campaign.
There is no secret as to why a team featuring Pinamonti and prolific forward Domenico Berardi up front are still failing to stay clear of danger: the Emilians have conceded a club-record 71 league goals over the past 12 months and are yet to keep a clean sheet this term.
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Not only does Stefano Pioli still have several defenders ruled out by injury - with Fikayo Tomori adding to their numbers last time out - but Serbian striker Luka Jovic may also be sidelined by an ankle knock sustained against Salernitana.
Yunus Musah has joined Jovic in training separately from the main squad due to a muscular problem, while Tomori, Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, Mattia Caldara, Tommaso Pobega and Noah Okafor are all unavailable.
Fringe players Marco Pellegrino and Marco Sportiello could at least return from their respective injuries, but Milan's options remain restricted; young Jan-Carlo Simic, who recently scored on his debut versus Monza, may even be called upon in central defence.
With Jovic set to miss out, Olivier Giroud will aim to maintain his average of a goal every 78 minutes against Sassuolo. The French striker is Milan's leading scorer across all competitions in 2023 (18 goals) and a brace on Saturday would see him top last year's tally of 19.
Of course, the visitors' chief attacking threat will be evergreen Domenico Berardi, who has racked up 11 goals and provided seven assists against the Rossoneri in Serie A to date.
Berardi has recovered from an illness that forced him to miss last week's loss to Genoa so starts on the right flank of an attacking trident featuring Armand Lauriente on the left and Andrea Pinamonti leading the line.
However, Sassuolo are still hampered by a long list of absentees: Uros Racic, Daniel Boloca, Gregoire Defrel, Matias Vina and Mattia Viti are all expected to sit out the trip to Lombardy.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Hernandez, Florenzi; Loftus-Cheek, Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Tressoldi, Pedersen; Henrique, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Bajrami, Lauriente; Pinamonti
We say: AC Milan 3-2 Sassuolo
Neither side can be relied upon to keep the other at bay for 90 minutes, and with a number of men missing from both squads it could be an open and unpredictable encounter. Ultimately, Sassuolo's frailties are just as much psychological as defensive, so Milan can edge to victory and keep Pioli in-post for now.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
