AC MILAN V SASSUOLO: OPPONENT REVIEW

In their search for consistency and a clear dimension,  AC Milan end 2023 at home in front of their fans and will be looking for a response following the draw in Salerno. Sassuolo, who have had an up-and-down campaign so far, come to San Siro for matchday 18 on Saturday 30 December at 18:00 CET. Standing three points above the relegation zone shows what kind of season it has been so far for the Emilians, who in the event of failing to win would arrive at the halfway point, after 18 games, with just four successes, only the third time in their history in the top division after 2022/ 23 (four) and 2013/14 (three).

On the back of winning just twice away from home in 13 Serie A games since April, the Neroverdi's difficulties, for the large part, stem from an extremely poor defensive record. It is a problem that has been apparent throughout 2023, with Dionisi's men conceding 71 league goals in 40 games played, a record for the club in a single calendar year in the competition. The previous record was in fact 70 goals conceded in 2021, where the team had however played three more games.

SECOND-HALF DEFENSIVE WOES: LONG-RANGE HITS A WEAPON
The difficulties that have affected Sassuolo for a year now are across the board and have prevented the team from finding the right continuity to stabilise themselves in the table more suited to its technical quality. The Neroverdi's inconsistency can be summed up in this stat: 28 points lost from a leading position in Serie A in 2023 - at least two more than any other team since the start of the calendar year - 14 of which have come this season (also a record). It is an issue that has occurred above all in the second half, where the Emilians have conceded 19 goals so far - no team has let in more in the current campaign (Salernitana also with 19) - and which has contributed significantly to making Sassuolo one of five teams from Europe's top five leagues to have yet keep a clean sheet this season (Salernitana, Granada, Brighton and Augsburg are the others).

It is a problem that goes hand in hand with an approach that is far too submissive when the opposition has the ball: in this sense, the figure of just 171 interceptions from opposition's play is particularly significant, the lowest in the current campaign, level with Juventus. Attacking wise, Sassuolo remain a team that knows how to penetrate thanks above all to their firepower, capable of hitting from practically any position: the Neroverdi have scored the most goals (six) and attempted the most shots (110) from outside the area in this season's Serie A, while no team has conceded more long-range goals in the current tournament than AC Milan (five).

BERARDI AC MILAN'S NEMESIS
It will certainly have to be Domenico Berardi who takes the lead for Sassuolo in this sticky period for them. The Neroverdi winger, European champion with Italy in 2021 and a beacon of the Emilian club for years, comes into the game off the back of an extremely positive 2023 on a personal level, in terms of numbers, having been involved in exactly 30 goals in Serie A (20 goals and ten assists). In the last 15 years, considering Italian players, only Antonio Di Natale (36 in 2010 and 2011) and Ciro Immobile (39 in 2017, 31 in 2019 and 34 in 2020) have managed to do better in a single calendar year. The Neroverdi captain also boasts an incredibly positive personal tradition against AC Milan, an opponent he has scored eleven goals against and provided seven assists in Serie A, in a total of 18 appearances.

Among those still playing, the only one to have done better against a single team since the 2004/05 season in the competition is Paulo Dybala against Udinese (19 appearances, eleven goals and eight assists). The nicest surprise of Sassuolo's unfortunate season thus far is undoubtedly represented by Jeremy Toljan's attacking contribution: the German has already provided five assists in this campaign, one more than he recorded in his previous four Serie A seasons. The only Sassuolo defender who has done better in a single Serie A season is Pol Lirola (six in 2018/19). This season, only Paulo Dybala and Marcus Thuram have recorded more assists (six for both) than the Neroverdi full-back.

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