AC MILAN v EMPOLI: FUN FACTS

AC Milan's crucial April beings with a home fixture: Zanetti's Empoli arrive at San Siro, a dangerous team that already caused problems for the Rossoneri in the first match until the dying minutes. A match AC Milan need to win to continue momentum after the evening in Naples and to prepare for the Champions League fixture in the best way possible, where they will face Spalletti's side again. Here are some facts and stats ahead of the match against the Tuscans:

PREVIOUS FIXTURES
Milan and Empoli will face each other, for the second consecutive season, on the 29th matchday of Serie A. A league round in which this fixture has already occurred twice, both times won by 1-0 by the Rossoneri (Pirlo goal in 2004, Kalulu in 2022). There is only one previous encounter between the two teams on a Friday (3-0 to the Rossoneri on 22 February 2019), while there have been two on the Easter weekend (but on a Saturday), with one win for each side by the exact same scoreline, 1-0 (Di Natale for the Tuscans in 2003, and the 1-0 thanks to Pirlo in 2004).

LUCKY FRIDAY
In no fewer than 21 out of 23 matches played on a Friday in Serie A, AC Milan have been unbeaten: their two defeats represent the lowest percentage in the history of the league among teams who have played at least three matches on a Friday. The same cannot be said of the Tuscans, who have lost on six out of eight occasions on Friday, including the most recent game (last 17 March against Atalanta).

SAN SIRO MEANS GOALS
AC Milan have scored in all 13 of their home games played in the league this season: the last time they went goalless was the 0-0 draw against Bologna in April 2022. Not since 2008/09 have the Rossoneri scored in their first 14 home league games, a season which saw AC Milan finish with a perfect 19/19 record. With the 4-0 win in Naples, Pioli's side have now reached 48 goals in the league (the second best attack in the competition), 16 of which have come in the first half-hour of play: no other side in Serie A has scored more in this period.

FORMER PLAYERS
Two important parts of AC Milan's midfield, Ismaël Bennacer and Rade Krunić, made their Serie A debuts in the Empoli shirt: the Algerian played 37 games in 2018/19, the Bosnian made 80 appearances with 8 goals. A former Rossoneri among Empoli's ranks, Mattia Destro: the striker made 15 appearances and scored 3 goals in the 2014/15 Serie A, and as an opponent he has scored five times (the most recent in April 2021) against AC Milan.

RUNNING RACE
AC Milan v Empoli will feature the three players who, in the current Serie A, have made the most metres with dribbles: Fabiano Parisi, Theo Hernández and Rafael Leão. The Tuscan full-back is the defender with the most successful dribbles in this league, a statistic that is led by Leão. Rafa, in goal in the first edition of the fixture this season and fresh from his brace at the Maradona, could score in two consecutive league games - in the same calendar year - for the first time since September 2021 and is one goal away from equalling last season's personal record of 11 goals.

Tickets are available for AC Milan v Napoli and AC Milan v Lecce: see you at San Siro!