AC MILAN v SASSUOLO: MATCH PREVIEW

How important it would be to win, to bounce back from the disappointment of Salerno and wave 2023 off in the best way possible, in what hasn't been an easy first half of the season. Sassuolo must be beaten at San Siro. The game is set to start at 18:00 CET and in our Match Preview we look at every fine detail as we build up to kick-off.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
After the game at the Arechi, it has been quite a long wait due to the Christmas festivities, but the players have still got in plenty of work at Milanello. A win would keep the Rossoneri in 3rd place, maintaining and perhaps even increasing their lead on the teams below them. The area in the table for qualifying to next season's Champions League is full of candidates; it's necessary to get a head of steam up. The number of absentees continue to mount up, especially in defence with Tomori now added to the list. Pellegrino, though, is recovering. Musah is still out, and Jović isn't at his best. Hernández or Simić partnering Kjær is most likely, with the rest of the team being the same including Bennacer once again in the middle of the park. Reijnders is one booking away from a suspension.

"We need a win," said Coach Pioli in his press conference on the eve of the game, "I expect a convincing performance. The players have no fear, they want to overcome difficulties. We not finding that consistency, even during the same game. We need to be more compact."

LATEST FROM SASSUOLO
Sassuolo are in a sticky period. They currently sit in 15th, three points above the relegation zone. They haven't won since November, 4-3 away at Empoli, and come into the game on the back of three defeats and a draw. Last weekend, Pinamonti's lead wasn't enough, as Genoa fought back in Reggio Emilia. The stats evidence that the Neroverdi can score, but their biggest problem is conceding goals (32, second worst defensive record). It's been a sluggish campaign so far, but attention must be paid to Dionisi's men, who line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, because they did beat Juventus and Inter in September. There is also a timely return, from a bout of flu, for their most gifted player and group leader, Berardi (nine goals so far, behind only L. Martínez).

"We aren't where we thought we'd be," said Dionisi, "we have made too many individual mistakes. We have deserved more points and we are now forced into trying to win them back. When you play against AC Milan you know it's going to be difficult, but we have to believe. AC Milan are strong, and have probably the fittest side in Serie A".

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• The most frequent result against Sassuolo in the league is 2-1 for AC Milan (four times). The most recent dates back to December 2020, with the fastest goal in Serie A history opening the scoring (Rafael Leão after six seconds).
• AC Milan have scored the most number of goals in the first half (19), meanwhile no other team has conceded more goals than Sassuolo in the second half of games (19, the same as Salernitana).
• From 2018/19 onwards, AC Milan have won four out of their five final league games of the calendar year; the only defeat came against Atalanta in December 2019.
• The Rossoneri have kept nine clean Serie A sheets at San Siro in 2023; it is their best performance at home in a single calendar year since 2014 (ten clean sheets on that occasion).
• Giroud is the third French player, after Platini and Trezeguet, to score more than 15 goals in a calendar year in Serie A (16 in 2023). And Sassuolo are the team against whom Olivier has the best goalscoring average in the league: a goal every 78 minutes (three goals in total). The centre-forward is AC Milan's top scorer in 2023 (18 goals) and could equal his goal tally from last year (19 in 2022).

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v SASSUOLO
In Italy, the game will be broadcast by DAZN and Sky Sports. To watch AC Milan v Sassuolo in a different country you can consult the "Where to watch Milan on TV" section under "Abroad". On our Rossoneri channels, the Matchday on Milan TV kicks off its live broadcast at 17:00 CET right up until close to kick-off, with interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference afterwards. From 17:50 CET, there will also be Live Reaction on the AC Milan Twitch channel. Don't miss coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and all official social media channels.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Officiating AC Milan v Sassuolo will be 39-year old Livio Marinelli in charge of his 43rd Serie A fixture. This will be his third Rossoneri game after being involved last season twice: AC Milan 4-2 Udinese and AC Milan 4-1 Monza. Completing the line-up of officials are assistant referees Rossi and Ricci, fourth official Zufferli and on VAR duties is Meraviglia (Valeri AVAR).

Matchday 18 in Serie A, that rounds off 2023, kicks off on Friday 29 December with Napoli 0-0 Monza, Fiorentina 1-0 Torino, Genoa 1-1 Inter and Lazio 3-1 Frosinone. Atalanta v Lecce at 12:30 CET starts the schedule on Saturday 30 December, which also sees Udinese v Bologna and Cagliari v Empoli at 15:00 CET, Hellas Verona v Salernitana at 18:00 CET, as does AC Milan v Sassuolo, and to finish off the weekend is Juventus v Roma at 20:45 CET.

Current standings: Inter* 45; Juventus 40; AC Milan 33; Fiorentina* 33; Bologna 31; Roma and Napoli* 28; Lazio* 27; Atalanta 26; Torino* 24; Monza* 22; Lecce and Genoa* 20; Frosinone* 19; Sassuolo 16; Hellas Verona and Udinese 14; Cagliari 13; Empoli 12; Salernitana 9. (* = played one game more)

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