SASSUOLO v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

It’s second from bottom against second from top, but it’ll be anything but easy for the favourites. AC Milan are heading to the Mapei Stadium - a ground that evokes sweet memories - to take on Sassuolo on matchday 32 in Serie A. At stake are important points as the teams chase their respective objectives: the Rossoneri are hoping to secure Champions League qualification as soon as possible and bounce back following their Europa League defeat to Roma, while the Neroverdi are fighting to avoid the drop. Here is our Match Preview as today’s 15:00 CEST kick-off draws nearer.    

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
For the third time this season, AC Milan are set to play a league match in between two Europa League fixtures. This last occurred when Pioli’s men faced Empoli in the middle of the two games against Slavia Praha, while, before that, there were the two clashes against Stade Rennais either side of a league encounter against Monza. These Serie A matches proved to be difficult, and, given Sassuolo’s need to pick up points, the Diavolo know that they will have to produce the best performance possible if they want to make it six wins in a row in the Italian top flight. With the second leg at the Olimpico coming up on Thursday, there could be several new starters compared to the games against Lecce and Roma. Having missed Thursday’s clash through suspension, Fikayo Tomori is available again, although, on the domestic front, he is one booking away from missing the team’s next match (the same applies to Musah, Thiaw and Coach Pioli, who didn’t hold a pre-match press conference). Up front, Chukwueze, Okafor and Jović are all in contention to start. Mike Maignan will not be available for the game. 

LATEST FROM SASSUOLO
Sassuolo, who currently sit in 19th place, are probably experiencing the most difficult moment of their eleven-year stay in Serie A. With Ballardini having taken over the hotseat, the Neroverdi managed to pick up four points from their two most recent home outings against Frosinone and Udinese, but they remain deep in trouble. This can largely be put down to the number of points they’ve lost from winning positions: 26, including four in their last two matches. Sassuolo also have some significant injury absences: Pedersen, former Rossonero Castillejo and, most notably, captain Berardi (whose season has been over for a while) are all out. Compared to their game in Salerno, Serbian international Račić could start in midfield alongside Matheus Henrique, with Thorstvedt in the advanced playmaker role in place of Bajrami. Erlić is favourite to get the nod over Tressoldi in defence, while, in attack, Laurentié (on the left) and Pinamonti (up front) look set to retain their places.

“It’ll be a difficult game: those who don’t play as much are still worthy of AC Milan,” said Davide Ballardini in his pre-match press conference. “When you come up against a big side who have three matches in a week, you have a small advantage, but they still have 26-27 players who are of a standard required for AC Milan. They’ll play their game, and we’ll have to play ours. We’re much better than what we’ve shown so far.”

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• Sassuolo and AC Milan are set to meet for the 21st time in Serie A: the Rossoneri have eleven wins to their name compared to the Neroverdi’s seven, with three draws completing the picture. The Diavolo are unbeaten in their last seven matches at the Mapei Stadium, winning six and drawing one (a 0-0 stalemate on 30 August 2022 - the last encounter between the sides in Reggio Emilia).
• The Rossoneri have picked up 68 points from 31 matches this Serie A campaign. In the three-points-per-win era, this represents their best points return at this stage since the 2003/04 season, which remains the only campaign where they’ve collected more than 70 points in their opening 32 fixtures (79). With a victory, AC Milan would achieve this feat again and, what’s more, make it six Serie A wins in a row for the first time since their six-game winning streak to conclude the 2021/22 season.
• In 2024, Pioli’s men have recorded six away wins - only Bayer Leverkusen have done better across the top five European divisions - and had the most shots on target in the Italian top flight (80). The match in Reggio Emilia will pit together two of the three teams who have scored the most goals in the opening 15 minutes of play (eight each).
• This Serie A campaign, nobody has scored more substitute goals than Noah Okafor and Luka Jović (four each), who only trail Girona’s Cristhian Stuani (six) across the top five European divisions. At the Mapei Stadium, Malick Thiaw could make his 50th AC Milan appearance, Matteo Gabbia could play his 50th Serie A match and Simon Kjær could celebrate his 100th win in the Italian top flight.

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WHERE TO WATCH SASSUOLO v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch Sassuolo v AC Milan in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 14:00 CEST and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Davide Massa will be the referee for Sassuolo v AC Milan. The 42-year-old has taken charge of 200 matches in Serie A, 21 of which have involved the Rossoneri. Pioli’s men have encountered Massa twice this season: he refereed the 2-0 victory over Lazio and the 2-2 draw with Bologna. Mondin and Vecchi will be the linesmen, while Prontera will perform the role of fourth official. Guida, assisted by Chiffi, will oversee VAR.

Matchday 32 in Serie A kicked off with Lazio 4-1 Salernitana on Friday. Yesterday, the following games were played: Lecce 1-0 Empoli, Torino 0-0 Juventus and Bologna 0-0 Monza. Four matches are taking place today: Napoli v Frosinone (12:30 CEST), Sassuolo v AC Milan (15:00 CEST), Udinese v Roma (18:00 CEST) and Inter v Cagliari (20:45 CEST). The latest round of fixtures will finish with Fiorentina v Genoa (18:30 CEST) and Atalanta v Hellas Verona (20:45 CEST) tomorrow.

This is the current league table: Inter 82; AC Milan 68; Juventus* 63; Bologna* 59; Roma 55; Atalanta° 50; Lazio* 49; Napoli 48; Torino* 45; Fiorentina° and Monza* 43; Genoa 38; Lecce* 32; Cagliari 30; Udinese and Empoli* 28; Hellas Verona 27; Frosinone 26; Sassuolo 25; Salernitana* 15. (* = played one game more) (° = game in hand)

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