Sassuolo vs. AC Milan: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info – Bleacher Report
Sassuolo have always caused AC Milan some problems. They are relatively new foes, having only played each other four times before, but there is already history here. It was Sassuolo who beat Milan 4-3 in 2014, forcing them to sack Massimiliano Allegri that same week. And it was Sassuolo who beat Milan again to start 2015, sending the Rossoneri into a spiral of terrible results.
So this fixture should sound alarms even though Sassuolo are sitting in 16th place. They have scored eight times against Milan in those four games. There is no fear here—Sassuolo go out and play their football.
Venue: Stadio Citta del Tricolore
Time: 11:30 a.m. UK/6:30 a.m. EDT
TV info: BT Sport (UK)/Rai (U.S. and Canada)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect
Neither club really has much on the line in the final three matches of the season, with Sassuolo mathematically safe from relegation and Milan without a realistic shot at European qualification. Milan are eight points behind Sampdoria, who hold the last Europa League spot.
“This squad knows it should have done better,” said coach Filippo Inzaghi, who will miss the game as a result of a one-match touchline ban, according to Press Association Sport, per ESPN FC. “Let’s win our next three matches and do everything we can, and then we shall see where we finish.”
Predicted lineups
Jeremy Menez is set to serve the third game of his four-match suspension, and yet the Rossoneri have played well enough without their top scorer, finding inspiration from Mattia Destro and Keisuke Honda in a 2-1 win over Roma last weekend.
Giacomo Bonaventura will likely join the two for a second straight match, rounding out the front three. Coach Inzaghi also has the option of playing Stephan El Shaarawy once again. The 22-year-old could make his 100th appearance for Milan, as he is back on the teamsheet following months recovering from a foot injury.
There are several other players with their futures at stake. Salvatore Bocchetti and Marco van Ginkel—both of them on loan—have these last few chances to prove themselves. Van Ginkel in particular has improved over the last stretch of games, showing he can push forward and join the attack. (He scored his first goal for the club against Roma.)
Others, like Philippe Mexes, whose contract expires this summer, can take the final three games as a trial.
Formation (4-3-3): Diego Lopez; Bocchetti, Paletta, Mexes, Abate; Van Ginkel, De Jong, Poli; Bonaventura, Destro, Honda
For Sassuolo, it’s one of the last times we could see a front three of Nicola Sansone, Simone Zaza and Domenico Berardi. The trio have 24 goals among them in Serie A, and they tend to feed off one another. Berardi in particular has tortured Milan in the past, scoring a hat-trick against them in 2014 and setting up the two goals that beat them in January.
Formation (4-3-3): Consigli; Peluso, Cannavaro, Acerbi, Vrsaljko; Missiroli, Magnanelli, Biondini; Sansone, Zaza, Berardi
Player to watch
Honda has not scored a goal for Milan since October, but he regained relevance with a spectacular performance against Roma last weekend. He was all over the field, supplying passes and taking shots in dangerous positions.
The 28-year-old Japanese player has been a forgotten player in this campaign, but a solid finish to the year could prove his worth once more and consolidate his own future with Milan.
Without Menez, it is up to Honda to dictate the pace of the offence and deliver the service. And he has a freer role. He is not so much a right-winger as a trequartista, and the freedom to move about the pitch only benefits his game.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Sassuolo: 21-10
Milan: 13-10
Draw: 9-4
Prediction: Sassuolo 2, Milan 2
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