AC MILAN v SASSUOLO: KEYS TO THE MATCH

AC Milan's second half of the season kicks off with a fixture against Sassuolo from Alessio Dionisi. A non-trivial crossroads, a match that in the past at San Siro has been balanced between the two teams, currently in an unfavourable moment of their respective seasons. It could be a few details, then, that decide the first home early kick-off of the Rossoneri season: let's pick out three of them.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WINGS
Pioli and Dionisi's teams place a considerable part of their offensive play on the flanks, relying heavily on their wide players. Whether it's the Rossoneri 4-2-3-1 or the traditional Neroverdi 4-3-3 (although in the last two outings the Emiliani have lined up with the 4-2-3-1, due also to numerous injuries), we are talking about two teams that develop their moves on both sides of the pitch. In the Rossoneri camp, there are several points to assess, starting with the availability of captain Calabria and Theo Hernández. Sergiño Dest could find space on either flank, while up front the Rossoneri coach should opt for the Saelemaekers-Leão duo. Opposite is Sassuolo, with the Toljan-Rogério pairing at full-back and especially up front, with captain Berardi on the right and Frenchman Laurentié on the left. A series of match-ups that will surely sway the tide, one side or the other.

THE SAN SIRO ATMOSPHERE
After three weeks, AC Milan return to play a league match at San Siro. It will be, incidentally, the first fixture of the season at 12:30 CET on Sunday (the last one was AC Milan v Sampdoria in February 2022). In a match that sees two teams facing each other in an unideal moment of their season (the Neroverdi broke a streak of four consecutive defeats against Monza and haven't won since 24 October), the energy from the fans in the stadium can be that extra push to turn the tide and find a smile again. The Rossoneri supporters, by the way, have never failed to show their support, even in the most recent period.

WHOEVER STARTS WELL...
AC Milan and Sassuolo are two teams essentially at opposite ends of the spectrum in the time distribution of when goals have been scored this season. The Rossoneri - the fourth best attack in the league - are third in terms of goals scored in the first 15 minutes of the game (seven, 20% of their total goals), while Dionisi's side have only scored twice in the first half of the game. One, however, came in the last match (Ferrari in the 13th minute against Monza), while the Rossoneri have not scored two in the first half since the two goals against Salernitana at the start of the month. Scoring in the first few minutes is also a good omen: Pioli's team has always won the matches in which they have scored in the first 15 minutes of the game, picking up victories on five occasions.

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