AC MILAN v SPEZIA: OPPONENT REVIEW

After a resounding 4-0 win against FC Salzburg to qualify for the Champions League Round of 16 for the first time in nine years, it's time for AC Milan to get back on track in the league. For the Rossoneri, the opportunity to definitively overcome their 2-1 defeat to Torino will come on Saturday, November 5 at 20:45 CET, when Spezia, desperate for points, will play at San Siro. The Ligurians sit in 16th position in the table and, due to the only point won in their last five outings, they are only three points above the relegation zone.

Away from the Picco, in fact, they have suffered six defeats in the league in as many matches played without a goal to their name. If Spezia were to lose their next match as well, they would achieve an unwanted record: only four teams in the history of Serie A have recorded seven defeats in a row away from home without finding the net (Napoli in 1939, Bari in 1950, Catania in 1955 and 1984 and Livorno in 2014). Another factor that makes the upcoming match a mountain to climb for Gotti's men is AC Milan's hot run of form, who have won eight of their last nine league matches at San Siro - the defeat against Napoli on 18 September completes the list.

HAMPERED ATTACK AND STRUGGLING DEFENCE: DIFFICULT MOMENT FOR THE AQUILOTTI
What the Rossoneri will face is, as mentioned, a struggling Spezia. The poor form is proven by the points amassed so far by the Ligurians, which certify evident problems both in the attacking and defensive aspects. Third to last in Serie A for shots taken, ahead only of Lecce (101) and Sampdoria (116), the Bianconeri are also the team that has recorded fewer shots on target (30): a poor productivity that has prevented the team from scoring in 50% of the matches played in this championship (6/12).

Spezia are also the team that has scored the fewest goals in the second half (two) and in the last quarter of an hour of the match (zero like Bologna and Verona) and has only managed to put three players in goal so far: no team has fewer goalscorers in the five major European leagues 2022/23 (three also for Wolverhampton). Bastoni and his teammates also showed clear limits in terms of defensive resilience, conceding 213 shots (at least 18 more than any other team) and spending 315 minutes at a disadvantage on the road, more than any other team this season. No fewer than five of the 22 goals conceded by the Bianconeri in the league - the second worst defence behind Hellas Verona (24) - have also come from outside the box, the highest number among the twenty teams involved in the tournament.

NZOLA SEEKS A GOAL AWAY FROM HOME, GYASI AIMS TO RISE AGAIN
AC Milan's main danger is certainly posed by M'Bala Nzola. The French striker has scored 50% of his Spezia side's goals in the league so far (5/10) and could find the net in two consecutive Serie A appearances for the first time since January 2021, when he struck first against Napoli and then Sampdoria in the space of two days. All of the 26 year old's goals, however, have come in home games: the number 18 has not scored in the league away from the Picco since 20 November 2021, when he scored a brace in the 5-2 defeat to Atalanta. Nzola's centrality in Luca Gotti's tactical chessboard is, however, evident and his team-mates recognise in him a real offensive reference, first among his team-mates for shots both inside (9) and outside the area (11).

Unexpected difficulties have also been encountered so far by an Spezian players such as Emmanuel Gyasi. The Ghanaian's start this season has been extremely disappointing: still without a goal in the league, the Bianconeri's captain is so far the striker who has played the most minutes in the league without scoring or providing an assist (984 in 12 appearances). Gyasi is also currently the player in Serie A who has made the had shots without finding the goal (17) and the one who has been caught offside the most times (13). Praiseworthy for his spirit of sacrifice when out of possession, the number 11 has, however, at times appeared unable to contain his agonistic fervour, ending up by becoming the striker with the most yellow cards so far in the league (four, alongside Thomas Henry and Federico di Francesco). San Siro and AC Milan evoke sweet memories for him, his being the decisive goal in the final seconds of the match on 17 January. Trying to repeat himself will be no easy task.

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