AC Milan will face Spezia at San Siro tonight looking to right the wrongs from the defeat against Torino in the last round of Serie A action.
The memory of the game between the two sides back in January is still fresh in the memory too, specifically Marco Serra’s error where he did not play advantage for a foul just as Junior Messias scored what would have been a last minute winner, and then Gyasi scored a winner for Spezia right at the death.
You can read our pre-match preview here, while below are the best stats ahead of the game…
➤ Spezia have won two of their four Serie A meetings against AC Milan (L2), and could become the second side against which the Liguri win three games in the competition after Sampdoria.
➤ Spezia are one of the two sides to have beaten Milan away from home in Serie A in 2022 (2-1 at the Meazza in February), followed by Napoli’s victory earlier this season.
➤ After the 1-2 defeat against Torino, Milan could lose two Serie A matches in a row for the first time since November 2021, when they did so against Fiorentina and Sassuolo.
➤ In 2022, Milan have kept nine Serie A clean sheets at home, the joint-most in the competition, alongside Fiorentina. Indeed, only Liverpool and Real Sociedad (both 10) have had more in the big five European Leagues during that time.
➤ Spezia have lost without scoring in each of their first six Serie A away games this season, only four sides in the history of the competition have lost seven away matches in a row without finding the net (Napoli in 1939, Bari in 1950, Catania in 1955 and 1984 and Livorno in 2014).
➤ Spezia have failed to score in 50% of their Serie A games this season (6/12), the joint-highest percentage (level with Sampdoria), in the big five European Leagues only Cádiz, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Wolves (seven each) have failed to score in more matches so far.
➤ Spezia have trailed for the most minutes in Serie A away matches this season (315), whilst AC Milan have been leading for 298 minutes at home, only Juventus have led for longer (360).
➤ Spezia are the side against which AC Milan’s Rafael Leão has scored the most Serie A goals (3), including the first of his two braces in the competition (October 2020 at the Meazza). Indeed, he has scored five goals and assisted four in Serie A this season, with only Kvaratskhelia (11) and Milinkovic-Savic (10) involved in more goals so far than his nine.
➤ Junior Messias scored the first of his three Serie A braces against Spezia in December 2020 for Crotone – after his goal against Torino, the Brazilian could score in two consecutive top-flight appearances for the second time, doing so previously in March/April 2021 against Bologna and Napoli.
➤ Mbala Nzola has scored 50% of Spezia’s goals in Serie A this season (5/10), each of them coming at home; he could find the net in two Serie A appearances in a row for the first time since January 2021 against Napoli and Sampdoria.
