AC Milan visit Sassuolo on Sunday afternoon with four games left and little room for error as they chase the points needed to lock up a top-four finish. The Rossoneri have conceded defeat in the title race after a goalless draw with Juventus last weekend, and they now sit third, six points clear of Como and Roma behind them.
The trip to the Mapei Stadium arrives with Milan in better defensive shape than they have been for much of the season. They have kept back-to-back clean sheets and have shut out opponents 15 times in 34 league games since the start of the campaign. That consistency has mattered, especially with the team still vulnerable when Matteo Gabbia is absent: Milan have lost just 4% of their league games this term when he has been available, but 50% without him in the starting XI.
Yet the injury list has made the timing awkward. Luka Modric suffered a serious facial injury against Juventus and will miss the rest of the Serie A campaign, leaving Samuele Ricci and Ardon Jashari to compete for the role on Sunday. Milan also need a response from the players at the sharp end, with Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic both struggling to produce for several weeks. Pulisic has now gone 16 appearances without scoring, his longest drought in the Italian top flight.
Sassuolo, meanwhile, come into the match after a 0-0 draw with Fiorentina and sit 11th in the table. Their return to Serie A has been steadier than many expected after last season’s Serie B title, and they will remain in Italy’s top tier while still chasing a top-half finish. Form at home has helped that push: Sassuolo have won five of their last seven home fixtures and collected 23 points from their last 13 matches.
The recent history between the sides offers Sassuolo some encouragement, too. They have lost only two of the last eight league meetings with Milan, although the visitors are unbeaten in eight away games against them and have won six times at the Mapei Stadium over the past decade. In December, the teams drew 2-2 in the reverse fixture, and another close contest would not be a surprise. For Milan, the issue is no longer whether they can still chase the title. It is whether they can turn a season that has narrowed into a clear test of nerve into the one result they still need: Champions League football next season.
