10 FACTS ON EMPOLI v AC MILAN

The final game of the year is an away trip on Serie A matchday 19. AC Milan are back in action as they take on Empoli amidst plenty of uncertainty; it won't be easy to win away to a team that have had a stellar campaign until now, especially given that they are a newly-promoted side. Let's get excited for kick-off with a few stats on the match, which is due to get underway at 20:45 CET on Wednesday 22 December.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

1- AC Milan have lost just one of their last seven Serie A matches against Empoli (2-1 at home in April 2017) - the record in that space of time is completed by four wins and four draws.

RECORD AT THE CASTELLANI

2- Among the teams that Empoli have never beaten at home in Serie A, they have faced AC Milan the most (13 matches): seven draws and six wins for the Rossoneri. The Tuscan outfit have also drawn more home games in Serie A (7) against AC Milan than against any other team, including three of the last four.

CURRENT FORM

3- This will be AC Milan's last away match in 2021; the Rossoneri have the chance to become only the second team in Serie A history to win at least 17 away matches in the league in a single calendar year (after the 18 games won by Napoli in 2017) - Atalanta are also on 17 wins ahead of matchday 19. 

4- The Rossoneri are unbeaten in 20 of their last 21 games against newly-promoted sides in Serie A (W15, D5); the only exception was the 2-0 defeat to Spezia away from home in February 2021.  

5- AC Milan have won each of their last three league games played on a Wednesday with an aggregate scoreline of 12-0. In general, the last defeat on this day of the week in Serie A was in February 2021 (2-0 to Lazio); eight wins and six draws since then.

GENERAL STATS

6- AC Milan have conceded the highest percentage of their goals in the first fifteen minutes of matches in the league (30%: 6/20); Empoli are in second (23%; 7/30).   

PLAYER FOCUS

7- Ibrahimović has had a hand in six goals in four Serie A matchday against Empoli: four goals and two assists. However, these games were all played for Juve and Inter between 2005 and 2008. Zlatan has been involved in 13 goals in his last 13 games against newly-promoted teams in Serie A: eleven goals and two assists.

8- Kessie could make his 50th appearance for AC Milan in all competitions in 2021. The Ivorian is also the Rossoneri player with the most minutes played in this calendar year (3,977). Franck has scored two goals against Empoli in Serie A: in December 2016 with Atalanta and in February 2019 with AC Milan.

9- Both Rade Krunić and Ismaël Bennacer made their Serie A debuts while playing for Empoli and both contributed to the Azzurri getting promoted to the top flight in 2017/18. The Bosnian made 116 appearances and scored twelve goals in Serie A and B for Empoli; 76 games and two goals for the Algerian.

COACH FOCUS

10- This will be the first time that Aurelio Andreazzoli and Stefano Pioli have met as coaches in Serie A. Pioli has never drawn as a coach against Empoli in the top flight (W3, L3).

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