03 December 2021, 16:31 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
AC Milan return to face U.S. Salernitana 1919 on Italian Serie A Matchday 16 at 15:00 (GMT+1), Saturday, December 4, at the San Siro Stadium.
Preview Milan Serie A, Dec 4, 2021
Preview AC Milan ensured a bitter re-union with Andriy Shevchenko following the 3-0 win over Genoa on Wednesday. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (10’) had put Milan in front in the first ten minutes before a brace from Junior Messias (45’ & 61’), spaced across both halves, wrapped up the three points for AC Milan. Having returned to winning ways after back-to-back defeats, WDLLW, which saw the likes of Inter Milan remain within touching distance of the top-two, Stefano Pioli has his eyes set on three points from this technically weaker Salernitana side. With Inter having a difficult fixture against Roma over the weekend, Milan aims to restore the gap between herself and 3rd-placed Inter. In second place, AC Milan has 35 points after 11W, 2D, and 2L. With the fixtures coming thick and fast, Milan also have their injury woes, and Stefano Pioli will have to strike a delicate balance between the resources at his disposal and the performance on the turf. In the mid-week game against Genoa, Milan lost Simon Kjær to an ACL injury, and the latest reports confirm the Danish center-back will be going under the knife for corrective surgery. Ismaël Bennacer will also be unavailable for a few weeks, while Olivier Giroud, Davide Calabria, and Samu Castillejo are all on the list of possible absentees. However, a 4—2—3—1 formation with Zlatan leading the attack is expected for this game against Salernitana.
Preview Salernitana Serie A, Dec 4, 2021
Preview Meanwhile, Salernitana continued the torrid run of form which leaves the club without a victory in five games, LLLDL, following the 2-0 defeat to Juventus during the week. In 20th place on the Serie A table, having picked up 8 points from 2W, 2D, and 11L, Salernitana remain in the relegation zone. Unimpressive numbers at both ends of the pitch sees the club with 11 goals after 15 Serie A games. - A paltry average of 0.73 goals scored per game. The Garnets have conceded 31 goals so far this season and have a massive negative goal difference of -20. An average of 2.07 goals per match. Stefano Colantuono’s second spell at the club (2017–2018, 2021–?) leaves him with a 14% win rate after 7 games (1W, 1D, & 5L). A victory over AC Milan appears unlikely, but the 59-year-old will be aiming for at least a point. A defensive 5—3—2 formation is expected for this fixture against AC Milan. On availability, Salernitana could be without Stefan Strandberg and Cedric Gondo on Saturday.