UDINESE v AC MILAN: FUN FACTS

Just over seven months ago, AC Milan and Udinese kicked off their respective 2022/23 seasons with a spectacular 4-2 win, giving the reigning champions their first three points of the campaign. From summer to the dawn of spring, the two teams meet again in the reverse fixture for the 27th matchday of Serie A, the last round before the final international break of the season. The stakes are high at the Dacia Arena, in a clash that has not failed to provide goals and high-octane football in recent years. We approach the kick-off, scheduled for Saturday 18 at 20:45 CET, with some fun facts and statistics on the match:

TREND OF DRAWS
Over a third of the previous Serie A fixtures between Udinese and AC Milan have ended in a draw (36 out of 95 matches, with 42 Rossoneri wins and 17 Friulian victories), including both matches in the 2021/22 season, which ended 1-1. Proportionally, there are even more draws between the two teams in matches played in March: five of the last nine times in the league, including the match (played at San Siro) on 3 March 2021. However, it is not since 2005 that two consecutive matches between Udinese and AC Milan played on Friulian soil have ended in a draw.

STARTS AND FINISHES
As many as three goals in the first match (Becão, Hernández and Rebić) came in the first quarter of an hour of play. While the Friulians have since then only scored three more goals in the first 15 minutes this season - all at home, with two goals from Udogie and one from Beto - AC Milan are third in Serie A for goals scored in the opening quarter of an hour with seven, including four away goals in games against Sampdoria, Hellas Verona and Salernitana, all three won with a final score of 2-1. AC Milan and Udinese, on the other hand, are two of the best teams in the league for goals scored in the last 15 minutes of a match - excluding injury time - with 11 apiece. If the memory of the late Rossoneri goals is recent (Hernández against Fiorentina and Messias against Atalanta), the last goal between the 76th and 90th minutes scored by Udinese (Ehizibue in the 88th minute against Sampdoria) dates back to 22 January.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Pioli's Rossoneri are the team, alongside Napoli, to have scored the most goals following an offensive recovery with five, a ranking in which Udinese follow close behind with four. Never in the course of this season has AC Milan been defeated once they have taken the lead, and when this has happened (five times) away from home the Rossoneri have always won, unlike Sottil's side, who have instead lost seven points at home from winning positions. Udinese, however, are the team that has won the most points from behind in Serie A with 18, including eight at home: eight is also the number of points gained from a disadvantage by AC Milan, including three from the first leg.

PLAYERS GOING FORWARD
Udinese and AC Milan have the two youngest midfielders in this league to have amassed at least three goals and three assists: on one side Sandi Lovric, on the other Brahim Díaz. Two other opponents of the day who stand out at the top of a statistic are Roberto Pereyra and Sandro Tonali, two of the players who have started the most moves leading to a shot in their team (28 and 25 respectively). The Friulans' Argentine is also the second player in the league to have provided the most assists after a ball movement, a situation in which Rafael Leão is one of the most prolific players in terms of goals scored: no fewer than four.

MILESTONES
Should he take the field at the Dacia Arena, the Rossoneri number 17 would make his 150th in all competitions in the AC Milan shirt. Since his arrival in Italy, Leão is the Rossoneri with the most goals (36) and assists (26). The 100th appearance, just in Serie A, in sight for Alexis Saelemaekers, who would become the seventh Belgian player to reach that milestone in the three points per win era. Zlatan Ibrahimović, finally, is one goal away from becoming the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history and equalling the trio of Mancini, Riva and Filippo Inzaghi in the list of top scorers in Italian league history.

The PUMA AC Milan Kits for the 2022/23 season are available: get yours now!