10 FACTS AHEAD OF SPEZIA V AC MILAN

From one newly-promoted side to another, from Crotone to Spezia. Another obstacle awaits the Rossoneri on matchday 22, with Vincenzo Italiano’s side exceeding expectations so far. It’ll be a tricky task and one which Coach Pioli’s men will have to approach with the right spirit. Ahead of kick-off, here are the most interesting facts and figures relating to Spezia v AC Milan.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
1- AC Milan have won two out of two against Spezia in all competitions (in the Coppa Italia in 2014 and in Serie A in October), scoring three times on both occasions. 

2- AC Milan have recorded five wins in their last five matches against newly-promoted sides in Serie A, keeping a clean sheet in their last four. The last time they went on a longer winning run against teams new to the division was in May 2012 (eight games).

STATE OF PLAY
3- Since the start of the three-points-per-win era, AC Milan’s current side are the 18th team to pick up at least 49 points from 21 Serie A matches. All of the previous 17 sides finished in the top four of the league, while 14 ended the season in first place (if the Juventus teams in 2004/05 and 2005/06 are included).

4- AC Milan have scored two or more goals in each of their last 16 away matches in the Italian top flight: in the history of the Top 5 European leagues, only Barcelona have managed to do this for more consecutive fixtures (20 between 2012 and 2013).

GENERAL STATISTICS
5- AC Milan have kept the most clean sheets so far this Serie A campaign: eight, double the number of shutouts that Spezia (four) have recorded.
6- AC Milan have scored the most goals from set-pieces (19) during the current Serie A season. Meanwhile, only Sampdoria (13) have conceded more than Spezia (twelve) from dead-ball situations.

PLAYER FOCUS
7- Tommaso Pobega, who came through AC Milan’s youth ranks, is the third-youngest player to have scored at least three goals in Serie A this season (Kulusevski and Vlahovic are the only younger players to have done the same).

8- Zlatan Ibrahimović is the first player to have scored 14 goals in AC Milan’s first 21 fixtures of a top-flight campaign since Stephan El Shaarawy in 2012/13. The Swede could become the oldest player to net 15 goals in a single Serie A season (39 years and 133 days), a record which Silvio Piola (in 1951/52) currently holds.

9- Since the start of December, Hakan Çalhanoğlu has set up a teammate to score on seven occasions in Serie A. In the Top 5 European Leagues, only Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman (also seven) has registered as many assists in the same period. 

10- Considering the Top 5 European leagues, Rafael Leão is the youngest out of all the players that have scored five goals and provided five assists this season. 

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