AC Milan vs Sassuolo
With Inter Milan and Juventus seemingly pulling away and AC Milan looking miles away from Serie A title contention, Stefano Pioli is under immense pressure to turn things around as soon as possible.
I Rossoneri have 33 points, which is seven adrift from second-seeded Juventus. And with Bologna and Fiorentina hot on their heels, they might see themselves out of the top four, depending on this weekend’s Serie A 2023 results.
After being held to a draw by cellar dwellers Salernitana on Saturday, AC Milan head back home to San Siro to host Sassuolo.
I Neroverdi are in 15th place with 16 points, and they’re hellbent on ending their winless run to stay afloat in the Italian top-flight, so the hosts must not take them for granted.
Talking Points
AC Milan’s injury epidemic continues
If recent reports are to be believed, there’s a chance that Stefano Pioli might get axed if things don’t get better soon, with Thiago Motta reportedly in pole position to replace him and Antonio Conte being eyed too.
However, whether you’re an AC Milan fan or a neutral, it’s unfair to pin the blame on Pioli alone, who, by the way, led them to win the Scudetto in 2021-22, given that he has been dealt a bad hand.
Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, I Rossoneri have had 30 different injuries. Before, they were shorthanded in the final third, but now their backline depth is severely compromised.
Fikayo Tomori just became the latest casualty of the injury bug, as the 26-year-old centre-back is out for at least a month after injuring his knee against Salernitana, which is a shame because he managed to score his third goal of the season in the said match.
He now joins fellow defenders Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, and Mattia Caldara in the medical room, among others.
Luka Jovic, who also scored against Salernitana, also suffered an ankle injury and will likely be unavailable. With the Serbian set to miss out, AC Milan will call on Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao to produce the goals.
Giroud is I Rossoneri’s leading scorer across all competitions in 2023 (18 goals), and he can tie last year’s tally of 19 on Saturday.
Sassuolo need their top scorer fit
Sassuolo boss Alessio Dionisi will be hoping that Domenico Berardi is available to play against AC Milan since he is arguably their best player on the team.
Berardi is currently I Neroverdi’s top scorer this season with nine goals, and he also has three assists. The 29-year-old winger was absent against Genoa because he was ill, so it’s no coincidence that they lost yet again.
If, for some reason, Berardi remains unavailable, Andrea Pinamonti will continue to shoulder the scoring load. The 24-year-old striker is the team’s second-leading scorer behind Berardi, with six goals.
Meanwhile, AC Milan’s backline will also have to account for Kristian Thorstvedt. He joined Sassuolo from Genk last season, and he’s doing well as their No. 10, with three goals.
History
AC Milan have lost three consecutive Serie A home games against Sassuolo, which is currently the longest league losing streak by the former at San Siro (10-4 aggregate tally).
These two teams produced one of the highest-scoring tiffs last season, where the latter came away with a 5-2 victory last January.
Seven different players found the back of the net in the said match, with Gregoire Defrel, Davide Frattesi, Domenico Berardi, Armand Lauriente, and Matheus Henrique scoring for Sassuolo, while Olivier Giroud and Divock Origi scored for AC Milan.
However, AC Milan are poised to end their home drought against Sassuolo since they have kept nine clean sheets in Serie A this year, and another shutout victory here would match their record for most shutouts in a single calendar year (10 clean sheets in 2014).
Betting Tip
AC Milan should have enough to get maximum points this weekend at home, based on the latest SBOTOP Serie A 2023 odds. They are priced at 1.43 to win, whereas Sassuolo are at 5.70 odds, and a draw is at 4.38 in the 1X2 market.
Even with their injury woes, I Rossoneri can still score a handful of goals, and such a trend should continue on Saturday night.
Total Goal 2-3 at 2.10 appears to be a safe bet, while Total Goal 4-6 at 2.57 is also viable. However, if you don’t agree, then take a look at Total Goal 0-1 at 4.87 or Under 1.75 at 2.13 as your alternatives.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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