Sassuolo vs AC Milan prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2022-08-29 16:30.
Sassuolo’s frustrating 2-2 weekend draw at Spezia may have seen them steal a point, but the manner in which they threw away an early 1-0 lead is a cause for concern. They clearly still miss the influence of players like Gianluca Scamacca, but the Emilia-Romagnans must now quickly refocus on the visit of champions AC Milan, a side they have surprisingly beaten in two of the last three H2Hs, albeit in Milan.
Only a very disciplined display would likely result in Sassuolo recording back-to-back home wins to open a Serie A (SA) season for just the third time ever after their 1-0 victory against newcomers Lecce. The odds of that – and even starting a top-flight home campaign with successive legitimate shutouts for the first time ever – look steep after six straight H2H home losses with half-time deficits, with the last of these bringing a 3-0 loss in May that denied them a maiden chain of three successive top-half finishes in SA.
That 3-0 success here for Milan on the final day of last season ended their 11-year wait for the Scudetto. They now make the journey southeast after a commanding 2-0 win over Bologna, and have a clear opportunity to make it ten points from the opening dozen. That would see them better the tallies they got from the opening four games of their previous five title defence failures, following the success of 1993/94, during which they conceded just 15 goals.
On paper, it seems as though Milan are taking some inspiration from that famously-tight backline of the 1990s – especially in the latter minutes on hostile turf. This is reflected by a 13-game unbeaten SA away run spanning back to last December (W9, D4), which features five clean-sheet victories and just one goal conceded from open play after the break.
Players to watch: Domenico Berardi netted the winner in Sassuolo’s last home game, making three of his last four goals decisive, while Olivier Giroud will be full of confidence after his scintillating acrobatic volley against Bologna on Saturday evening. He also netted a first-half brace here last term to help Milan secure their 19th title.
Hot stat: Each of Milan’s last six clean-sheet SA away wins have come by an odd-numbered margin.