Serie A: Milan’s Bid to Stay On Top

Sassuolo vs AC Milan

There could be a change at the summit of the Serie A this weekend, depending on the result at the Mapei Stadium where Sassuolo vs Milan is the match on offer.

Having led the table throughout the early stages of this campaign, two draws have reduced Milan’s lead at the top to a single point, with city rivals Inter breathing down their necks.

Juventus and Napoli are three and four points further back to make up the foursome of teams chasing the 2021 Scudetto.

So the top spot will either stay in Milan this weekend, or with I Rossoneri, or Antonio Conte’s Inter, who have a very winnable game at home to Spezia.

But just behind the big four, indeed level on points with Napoli, you’ll find Sassuolo.

This is a big test indeed for the current leaders. The Serie A 2020 betting odds back a Rossoneri win, but not by a street against a side which has plenty to offer in this huge game.

 

Talking Points

Rossoneri are missing Zlatan

Stefano Pioli has established a winning mentality in his team this year which is a remarkable transformation over the past 12 months.

A year ago, Milan were 14^th in the table with 13 points and they are now top dogs with 28. Being one of only two unbeaten sides alongside Juventus, Pioli’s team is the second highest scoring group in the league with 27 goals from 12 games.

And the big change from last season? Well, it’s hard to look beyond the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has scored 10 goals already.

However, an injury to the big Swede sees him sidelined and that has coincided with Milan falling back into the leading pack.

Two consecutive draws against Genoa and Parma are underwhelming compared to previous victories over Inter Milan and Napoli, when Ibrahimovic was the match-winner.

Injured or otherwise, Zlatan is always going to feature in the Serie A 2020 news.

In this case, it will be about his absence which means that I Rossoneri is missing his goals and leadership up front.

But while there may be a loss of leadership in attack, Pioli has no such problem in defence where captain Alessio Romagnoli marshals the defence in front of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Danish centre-back Simon Kjaer can take some of the credit for Milan’s resurgence with a series of committed performances at the back, while wing-back Theo Hernandez is a sound defender with an attacking threat down the flanks.

Inter Milan’s Wednesday night victory over Napoli pulled I Nerazzurri up to within a point of AC Milan at the top of the table, and Pioli will be looking for a solid defensive display while Franck Kessie will try to take the attack to Sassuolo.

 

Sassuolo on the European trail

Head coach Roberto de Zerbi has guided Sassuolo to an impressive start to the 2020/21 campaign with just one defeat all season and they sit handily in fifth place.

I Neroverdi have two forwards with five goals each.

Striker Domenico Beradi is a real handful and has received international recognition, scoring in Italy’s recent 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina to fire the Azzurri into the final of the UEFA Nations League.

He also has three assists to add to his goals while alongside Berardi, veteran striker Francesco Caputo has bagged five goals in seven games.

These two will test Romagnoli’s leadership in the heart of Milan’s defence.

22-year-old midfield man Manuel Locatelli provides some real quality in the middle of the park and is one to watch for the future.

Overall, this is a team capable of sustaining a European challenge by improving on last term’s eighth place finish.

 

History

Milan have a good record against their upcoming opponents, winning nine of the 15 meetings since 2014, with Sassuolo winning four and there have been two draws.

I Rossoneri won this fixture 1-2 in July, as Caputo scored for the hosts only to see Ibrahimovic bag a brace.

Milan have been impressive on the road this season, winning five and drawing one of their six away games.

 

Betting Tip

	Sassuolo vs AC Milan	1X2 Draw @ 3.65
	December 20, 22:00 (GMT+8)

This is a tough game to call with the SBOTOP odds at 3.59 for a home win and Milan marginally odds on at 1.87 to win the game and keep hold of their top spot.

But it won’t be easy against a side with only one defeat all season, and I predict a tight encounter with chances at a premium.

A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH:
= €20 (Highly confident)	= €10 (CONFIDENT)	= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

 

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