10 FACTS ON SAMPDORIA V AC MILAN

We get going in Genoa; Stefano Pioli's boys are in action for the first time in the 2021/22 Serie A season with a trip to take on Sampdoria. This is a fixture with a long tradition and kicks off at 20:45 CEST tomorrow evening to finish off matchday 1. Ahead of the game, here are a few stats and facts on the clash:

HEAD-TO-HEAD
1- This will be the 127th meeting between Sampdoria and AC Milan in Serie A. The Rossoneri currently lead with 65 wins to Samp's 30, while there have been 31 draws. The two have faced off 63 times in Liguria: 25 wins for AC Milan, 19 for the Blucerchiati and 19 draws.

2- AC Milan have won both of their last two away games against Sampdoria in Serie A. The Rossoneri have only once won three consecutive away matches against Samp - in 1968, in a run that was extended to four. 

CURRENT FORM
3- AC Milan haven't conceded a single goal in their last five league games; the last time they kept at least six clean sheets in a row in Serie A was in February 1994 (nine in that case with Fabio Capello at the helm).

GENERAL STATS
4- Throughout last season, AC Milan only dropped five points from winning positions, less than any other team. 

5- AC Milan won 16 away games in Serie A last season, setting a new record in the division (beating the record set by Inter in 2006/07: 15). 

MATCHDAY 1
6- AC Milan have drawn just one of their last 15 MD1 fixtures in Serie A: 2-2 in September 2011 against Lazio (W8, D6).

PLAYER FOCUS
7- Olivier Giroud left the Premier League as the second-most prolific goalscorer as a substitute (21 goals), in eighth for headed goals (32) and the third-highest scoring Frenchmen in the league's history (90). Giroud could become the 15th Frenchmen to score a Serie A goal for AC Milan; the Rossoneri are also the team with the most French goalscorers ever in Serie A. 

8- Ante Rebić's next appearance will be his 150th in Europe's Top-5 leagues. Sampdoria are (alongside Napoli) one of the two teams, against whom the Croat has provided the most assists in Serie A (two).

9- Mike Maignan kept more clean sheets (21) in 2020/21 than any other goalkeepers in Europe's Top-5 leagues.   

10- Sandro Tonali scored his only Serie A goal to date at Marassi, against Genoa in October 2019.

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