After the long international break, which for the first time lasted a full three weeks instead of the usual two, Milan are ready to return to action on Sunday away to Sassuolo. This will be the first of nine matches awaiting the Rossoneri over the next 28 days.
This demanding run of fixtures (the Rossoneri will play practically every three days) will reveal a great deal about the quality of the squad at Ruben Amorim’s disposal, as well as what Milan’s season might have in store.
This was reported this morning by 'Corriere dello Sport', which outlined all of Milan’s upcoming commitments between now and the next international break in November:
"The schedule begins on Sunday with the clash against Sassuolo, a club against whom the Rossoneri have the worse record over their last ten head-to-head meetings, with four wins for the Neroverdi, three draws and three victories for Maignan and his teammates. Milan have not won at the Mapei Stadium since the title-clinching match on May 22, 2022. Quite some time has passed, evidently.
The fixture list will then bring Milan their first two European away trips, which have become particularly important following their home defeat to Benfica on the opening matchday: Salzburg on October 15 and Bournemouth on October 22. Two intimidating atmospheres, two teams in good form and packed with young players eager to make a name for themselves.
Between those fixtures comes the Serie A match against Atalanta at San Siro. Before and after a run of three consecutive home games, the Rossoneri will face two more away trips to historically difficult grounds: Udine on October 25 and Genoa on November 8, ahead of the second international break of the season.
As mentioned, Milan will approach that break after a packed schedule at San Siro: Bologna on October 28 in a midweek fixture, the derby on Halloween night, and Ferencváros in the Europa League on November 5.
Milan, squad rotation is needed
With matches coming every three days, Amorim will inevitably have to rotate his players, although he will try to field the strongest possible lineup in every game. The injuries to Pervis Estupiñán and Alexis Saelemaekers have come at a particularly inconvenient time and certainly will not help, but the Portuguese coach has complete confidence in his squad.
From a tactical standpoint, Milan are likely to continue with the 4-4-2 formation seen against Lecce before the break. This system involves Mario Gila shifting to right-back when the team is in possession, allowing Samuel Chukwueze and Christian Pulisic greater freedom.
In recent days, Amorim stated that his Milan side are still a long way from the team he envisions. This decisive month, then, will provide an opportunity to assess just how much progress the Portuguese coach’s team have made.
