The fourth round of the Italian Serie A will begin on Tuesday at the Stadio Citta del Tricolore when Sassuolo and AC Milan square off.
With seven points from their first three games, AC Milan have started their title defence on a strong note. They will go into the midweek matchup hoping to keep the momentum going.
When the two teams faced off at the Stadio Alberto Picco on Saturday, Sassuolo was held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Spezia, depriving them of their first string of victories in a row since March.
Davide Frattesi’s goal in the 23rd minute put Spezia in the hole, but they scored twice in the the last 15 minutes of the 1st half to take one goal lead into the second. However, Inter Milan loanee Andrea Pinamonti scored an equaliser in the 50th minute to force a tie and split the points.
Prior to that, Neroverdi ended a two-game losing streak by defeating newly promoted Lecce 1-0 on August 20. During that run, they were eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the round of 64 after losing 3-2 to Modena on August 8.
The team of Alessio Dionisi will now play on their home field, where they have only won once in their previous four league games, drawn once, lost twice, scored three goals, and allowed six to be scored.
Meanwhile, AC Milan defeated Bologna 2-0 last Saturday with ease to make it two victories from their first two home matches of the season. Rafael Leao put on a show for the home crowd, scoring the game’s first goal in the 21st minute before setting up Oliver Giroud for a spectacular acrobatic goal in the second half.
Prior to that, on August 13, AC Milan began their Serie A title defence with a decisive 4-2 home victory over Udinese. Eight days later, they travelled to the Gewiss Stadium where Atalanta held them to a 1-1 draw.
Stefano Pioli’s team has gone unbeaten in each of their last 19 league games, amassing an impressive 13 victories and six ties. When the Rossoneri travel to the Stadio Citta del Tricolore, in which they are currently on a run of six straight victories will fancy their chances of keeping this impressive run alive and well.
The absence of Mert Muldur, a Turkish defender who was forced to leave against Juventus in the sixth minute, will force Sassuolo to improvise. He is joined on the team’s injury report by Hamed Traore, who will miss his eighth straight game due to a muscle injury he sustained in May. Fillipo Romagna, a 25-year-old midfielder who suffered a serious injury back in March, will not participate in the midweek match as he continues his difficult recovery process.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn’t been available for Milan since May due to a knee injury, so Pioli won’t be able to use his services. Rade Krunic, a midfielder for Bosnia and Herzegovina, was forced to leave the game against Udinese on August 13 due to a muscle injury, and the 28-year-old is expected to miss his second straight contest. Last weekend against Bologna, Leao scored his first goal of the year, and the 23-year-old forward should continue to play in the final third, teaming up with recent acquisition Charles De Ketelaere and seasoned forward Giroud.
Possible lineup for Sassuolo :
Consigli, Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Rogerio, Frattesi, Lopez, Henrique, Domenico Berardi, Pinamonti, Kyriakopoulos
Possible lineup for AC Milan:
Maignan, Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Hernandez, Tonali, Bennacer, Saelemakers, De Ketelaere, Rebic, Origi
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