SASSUOLO V AC MILAN: PREVIOUS MEETING

The final hurdle of a long season comes in the shape of Sassuolo, who have often proved tricky opponents for the Rossoneri in the past. It will be a tense encounter at the Mapei Stadium on matchday 38. AC Milan, who have won their last five games in the league, are on the hunt for glory against the Neroverdi. It's a tough game, as we said, especially given the results of the last two meetings between the two sides, both of which were won by the Emilian outfit at San Siro. There are no half measures in this recent rivalry: eight matches to date in Reggio Emili, the first three were won by the hosts and the last five by the Rossoneri. Today, we are going back to the 4-1 away win on 30 September 2018.

SETTING THE SCENE
It was the Saturday evening fixture of matchday 7 in 2018/19. Gennaro Gattuso was sat in the AC Milan dugout and the Rossoneri were falling behind after taking points from their first six games. De Zerbi's Sassuolo had got off to a flying start, taking 13 points, and were in third place in the table. The Rossoneri - in their white away strip - lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with an attack led by Castillejo and Suso in the absence of a recognised striker. Gattuso's men needed a win so as to not lose any more ground and the Rossoneri got off to a good start.

TWO CHANCES, THEN KESSIE
AC Milan started well and dominated the game; chances were flowing. The first fell to Suso, who got away from Rogerio with a smart dummy and hit the frame of the goal from a tight angle. The second opportunity came to Kessie, who finished off a counter-attack, putting his effort past Consigli only for Lirola to make a goal-line clearance to deny the Rossoneri the lead. The Ivorian wouldn't be denied a second time though. In the 19th minute, the AC Milan number 79 forward with the ball at his feet, made it into the area and stuck it away for a deserved 1-0 lead. 

¡QUÉ VIVA ESPAÑA!
AC Milan didn't stop after the break, instead, they stormed out to a three-goal theed thanks to a pair of Spaniards. Suso, as we became so accustomed to, cut inside from the right flank and curled it into the far corner with his left: 2-0 with 50 minutes played. Ten more minutes went by and it was Samu Castillejo's turn to celebrate as he bagged his first goal in Serie A. Samu received the ball at the edge of the area and, from just to the left of the D, beat Consigli with a stunning strike. Đuričić then pulled one back for the Neroverdi in the 68th minute but the Rossoneri strove to not let the hosts back in the game and even restored their three-goal advantage. In the 94th minute, Suso struck the wall from a free-kick but reacted well and regained possession. The Spaniard struck the ball and it deflected off Locatelli and into the net for a final score of 4-1.

The AC Milan 2022/23 season tickets are now available: #UnaStoriaUnica, see you at San Siro!