7 hours ago
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AC Milan will hope to leave fans with a Christmas present in Serie A this weekend, with their last game before the Supercoppa Italiana vs. Sassuolo.
After Monday’s win in Turin, Milan return to San Siro in high spirits that will be expected to extend past this weekend. If they can beat the Neroverdi, it will be their first win against a newly promoted side this season.
With a 13-game Serie A unbeaten streak to protect still, Massimiliano Allegri will expect his side to be up for this game.
➤ Manager: Fabio Grosso
➤ Form (all comps): W-L-D-W-L
➤ Top scorer (Serie A): Domenico Berardi & Andrea Pinamonti – 4
➤ Most assists (Serie A): Cristian Volpato – 4
➤ Injuries & suspensions: Pieragnolo, Romagna, Skjellerup, Turati, Berardi, Boloca.
Last season was a successful one for Sassuolo as they returned to Serie A at the first time of asking. There was little reason to doubt the Neroverdi through the season, as they only lost four times before being crowned champions.
Given the strength of their squad already, there was not much need to invest, with key players like Domenico Berardi and Armand Lauriente staying put. However, a few players were brought in, namely Jay Idzes – who has been followed by the Diavolo – as well as Tarik Muharemovic and Fali Cande to sure up the defence.
There are some other familiar faces in the team too, with Andrea Pinamonti returning from loan, whilst Arijanet Muric and Nemanja Matic joined. Additionally, former Milanista Aster Vranckx joined on loan from Wolfsburg.
So far this season, they have been really strong, earning an eighth-placed spot after 14 Serie A games, which has included wins against Atalanta, Lazio and Fiorentina. So, Fabio Grosso’s side will not be pushovers, and he stated as much in his pre-match press conference.
Domenico Berardi will miss the game through injury, but the visitors still will have a strong team to call upon at San Siro. Grosso is expected to stick to the 4-3-3 system, which would see Kone, Matic and Thorstvedt face Milan’s midfield. Whilst Pinamonti and Lauriente will be the big two to watch up top.
Predicted Sassuolo XI (4-3-3): Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig; Thorstvedt, Matic, Kone; Volpato, Pinamonti, Lauriente.
Predicted bench: Zacchi, Candé, Coulibaly, Odenthal, Lipani, Paz, Iannoni, Cheddira, Moro, Fadera, Pierini, Vranckx.
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