Milan-Sassuolo is a match valid for the 18th day of Serie A and is played Saturday at 6 p.m.: lineups, predictions, TV and streaming.
Milan is struggling to keep up with Inter and Juventus, and in the last round the Rossoneri, stopped in Salerno by former Pippo Inzaghi, lost further ground to the two rivals, the only ones at the moment who give the impression they can contend for the title. The Diavolo now have to make up 11 points to their Nerazzurri cousins and seven to the Bianconeri.
Stefano Pioli remains strongly in the balance: after the 2-2 draw with Salernitana, the club reflected on the Emilian coach’s future, trust has been renewed in him but no more slips will be tolerated. An immediate response is needed already in the next few days, in which Milan will have to try to get closer to the top but above all watch its back: third place is also in question; the surprising Bologna has come under pressure but Fiorentina, Roma, Napoli and Atalanta are not far behind either. The risk of being sucked into the tussle is real, and the feeling is that Pioli is playing for everything in the coming weeks. Injuries, meanwhile, continue to plague the Rossoneri coach: in Salerno, Tomori, the author of the momentary 1-0 goal, was also injured. On the last day of 2023 at the San Siro is the scene of Sassuolo, a team coming off difficult weeks. The neroverdi against Genoa cashed their third defeat in the last four rounds and Alessio Dionisi’s bench, like Pioli’s, is also teetering dangerously. Since September, the Emiliani have only gotten the better of Empoli: the relegation zone is now only three points away.
Milan-Sassuolo: the latest lineup news
New problems in defense for Pioli after yet another injury to a starter: against Sassuolo, without Tomori, it will again be the turn of the 2005 class Simic, paired with Kjaer. The alternative is to deploy Hernandez in the center and Florenzi on the left, a less viable solution, however. Also unavailable are Caldara, Thiaw, Okafor, Pobega and Musah: only the latter could make it for the challenge with the Emilians. In the attack, Jovic, author of the goal of the final 2-2 in Salerno, is pawing the ground.
It’s raining wet at home Sassuolo: for the away match at San Siro will not be available Boloca.
The prediction
Sassuolo usually transforms with the bigs but in the last period even this axiom has gone into crisis, just like Dionisi’s team. The Rossoneri fans, however, are going with cold feet, still remembering last year’s heavy defeat (2-5), aware that Milan’s last success at the San Siro against the neroverdi dates back to as far as 2019. Pioli’s team should be able to dispel this taboo in a match in which they will in any case struggle to keep their goal unbroken.
The probable formations of Milan-Sassuolo
MILAN (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Simic, Kjaer, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao.
SASSUOLO (4-2-3-1): Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Pedersen; Matheus Henrique, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Castillejo, Laurienté; Pinamonti.
