After edging out Real Madrid in an impressive 4-2 win--much to the delight of Rossoneri fans and surprise of Real Madrid followers who figured it would be a cake-walk for CR7 & Co.--Milan will now turn their attention to Serie A action as they welcome Sassuolo in their first match after the Christmas hiatus.
The friendly meeting in Dubai at the end of 2014 will certainly have Pippo Inzaghi's side brimming with confidence and it was encouraging for calcio supporters to see Stephan El Shaarawy net a brace in which has been a difficult past year and a half for il Faraone. Jeremy Menez, who has been in sparkling form since making the move from PSG this past summer was another who got himself onto the score-sheet and certainly will hope to add more to that tally in the Diavolo's first home game of 2015.
Riccardo Montolivo is another who has slowly been getting back on track since making his return from a long injury lay-off due to a broken leg in May that saw the team's captain miss the World Cup. While the former Fiorentina man is still not anywhere near full fitness, his performance in the friendly clash was highly encouraging and fans will hope that he continues to put in good shifts in the middle of the park as they hope to keep climbing the table.
Unfortunately, both Philippe Mexes--who has been pretty solid, for the most part--and midfield destroyer Nigel De Jong will be both suspended for the meeting with the Neroverdi, who have proven to be a tricky opponent for Milan. New signing Alessio Cerci, brought in on loan in a swap deal with Fernando Torres, could possibly make his debut as Inzaghi has included him in the team's squad for the match and was full of praise for the former Torino man in his pre-game press conference.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, will have pretty much a full squad at their disposal with no suspensions and are sitting just five points behind their opponents with 20 points earned thus far. However, one notable absence will be Saphir Taider, with the Algerian international away on duty for the AFCON tournament this year.
Last season, the Serie A debutants dispatched the Rossoneri 4-3 with Domenico Berardi writing himself into the history books as the second-youngest player to score a poker and more important, the first ever to score four against Milan. The result effectively cost Massimiliano Allegri his job, and while the team rebounded by defeating them 2-1 at the San Siro near the end of last season, they will still have to be wary of Eusebio Di Francesco's side.
Sassuolo indeed surprised many Serie A fans by surviving their first-ever season in Italian football's top flight and so far have done even better this time around. They currently are in 12th place, just one point behind Milan's cross town rivals Inter and comfortably out of reach of the relegation zone.
Given that this is the first game of the new year for both sides, both Inzaghi and Di Francesco will be pushing for their men to earn a win. For Milan, the objective is to keep climbing the table with the hopes of returning to European football next season. For Sassuolo, their goal is to make sure they stay in Serie A for yet another season.
All the ingredients are there for a hopefully interesting clash for Rossoneri and Neroverdi fans, as well as general calcio neutrals alike. Who will emerge as the winner after 90 minutes? Tune in to find out.
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AC Milan vs Sassuolo team sheets
AC Milan's First XI: Lopez; Rami, Alex, Zapata, De Sciglio; Poli, Essien, Montolivo (C); Bonaventura, Menez, El Shaarawy
Sassuolo's First XI: Consigli; Gazzola, Cannavaro, Acerbi, Peluso; Biondini, Magnanelli, Missiroli; Berardi, Zaza, Sansone
AC Milan's Bench: Abbiati, Agazzi, De Santis, Zaccardo, Albertazzi, Abate, Muntari, Saponara, Mastour, Cerci, Niang, Pazzini
Sassuolo's Bench: Pomini, Polito; Antei, Bianco, Ariaudo, Terranova, Longhi, Brighi, Chibsah, Pavoletti, Floro Flores, Floccari
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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