AC Milan will travel to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium to take on Sampdoria on Saturday, looking to resume their Serie A campaign with a win on the road.
AC Milan are coming into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League, and they will be determined to get back to winning ways.Milan have made a decent start to their title defence, and they are currently third in the Serie A standings with 11 points from five matches.
On the other hand, Sampdoria are 18th in the league table, and this will be a tough outing for them. The home side will be hoping to bounce back strongly with a positive result and a win over Milan could give them a massive boost.
Sampdoria are yet to win in Serie A this season, and they have picked up just two points from five league outings. Furthermore, they are winless in their last six meetings against AC Milan. It seems that their dry run against the Rossoneri could be extended with another poor result here.
Team News & Tactics
Sampdoria
? | SQUAD#SerieATIM: 22 players available for #SampMilan tomorrow .#FORZADORIA ?⚪?⚫⚪?
— Sampdoria English (@sampdoria_en) September 9, 2022
Andrea Conti has been the only injury worry for Sampdoria heading into the game against the Serie A champions this weekend, but the former AC Milan defender is available. Apart from that, Sampdoria have a fully fit squad to choose from.
Marco Giampaolo is expected to continue with his 4-1-4-1 system, and Sampdoria will be hoping to outnumber Milan in the midfield and seize control of the game.
Emil Audero is expected to continue between the sticks, with Bartosz Bereszynski, Alex Ferrari, Jeison Murillo and Tommaso Augello comprising the back four.
Manolo Gabbiadini and Filip Djuricic are expected to start as the wide players, and the midfield four is likely to comprise Ronaldo Vieira at the base, along with Abdelhamid Sabiri and Tomas Rincon in the central midfield role. Francesco Caputo is likely to be the one leading the line for Sampdoria.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Audero; Berezynski, Murillo, Ferrari, Augello; Vieira; Gabbiadini, Sabiri, Rincon, Djuricic; Caputo
AC Milan
AC Milan will play UEFA Champions League football again during the midweek, and therefore, Stefano Pioli could make a few changes to his side in order to keep the squad fresh for the upcoming fixtures.
The visitors are without the services of Rade Krunic and Ante Rebic due to injuries. Meanwhile, Alessandro Florenzi remains a long-term absentee after undergoing surgery on his tendon. Milan are likely to start with their usual 4-2-3-1 with Mike Maignan as the goalkeeper.
? Pioli: "We know what awaits us"
The Coach's words ahead of #SampdoriaMilan? Pioli: "Sappiamo cosa ci attende"
Le parole del Mister alla vigilia della Sampdoria #SempreMilan
Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/XYc5EpVk73— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 9, 2022
There is unlikely to be any change to the well-settled back four. Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez are expected to continue at the back, although Pierre Kalulu has a case to make for himself.
Sandro Tonali is set to partner with Tommaso Pobega in the midfield double pivot. Junior Messias and Rafael Leao should continue in the wide attacking roles and Brahim Diaz is expected to take up the number ten role. Divock Origi will likely lead the line for AC Milan against Sampdoria,
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Tonali, Pobega; Leao, Diaz, Messias; Origi
Key Stats
- AC Milan are undefeated in their last 21 matches (Serie A).
- AC Milan have been winning at both half-time and full-time in their last three away matches against Sampdoria in all competitions.
- AC Milan have won their last three away matches against Sampdoria in all competitions.
- Sampdoria have failed to win their last six matches (Serie A).
- Sampdoria failed to score in three of the last six meetings against AC Milan.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
The 23-year-old AC Milan forward is our player to watch out for this weekend. The Portuguese international is in red hot form right now, and he is coming into this contest on the back of three goals and three assists in his last four outings across all competitions.
Leao will be hoping to take advantage of Sampdoria’s defensive problems and get on the scoresheet here. The home side of conceded nine goals in five league outings so far this season, and Leao could cause them all sorts of problems with his pace and flair.
Prediction
Sampdoria 1-2 AC Milan
AC Milan are undoubtedly the better team here and they will be desperate for the three points after being held to a draw in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week. The Serie A champions are up against a side that has failed to pick up a single victory in five league outings, and they have been abysmal defensively.
Milan have the quality to hurt Sampdoria at the back, and this should be a routine of a win for the Rossoneri, even if the scoreline does not reflect it in the end. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for the reigning Serie A champions.
