Milan vs Sampdoria: Rossoneri Scudetto challenge hangs in balance

Milan’s Scudetto challenge hangs in the balance as the Rossoneri prepare to welcome Sampdoria for their first league match after the international hiatus on Saturday afternoon.

Stefano Pioli’s men presently sit six points behind city rivals Inter. The Nerazzurri actually have a match in hand, meaning that this gap could be as much as nine if Antonio Conte’s side had played all their matches. In short, it’s a rather disappointing turn of results for Milan, who were on top of the table at the end of last year. However, since 2021 started, things have started to go awry for the 18-time Scudetto winners.

Before January 3rd, the Rososneri were still unbeaten in Serie A. By the end of February, they had already lost four times. Two of those defeats were to fellow Scudetto rivals Inter and Juventus – which certainly, while frustrating, isn’t anything to be ashamed of. But the other two were to Atalanta, and even worse, to debutant side Spezia. Two teams that a side like Milan really don’t want to be dropping points to if they want to realistically keep their foot in the door in this title race. While Atalanta have improved by leaps and bounds recently, the plucky Bergamo-based side are nowhere near title contenders, but by the way they outplayed Milan from start to finish, one couldn’t be faulted for thinking that Gian Piero Gasperini’s men were the side battling for the Scudetto that evening.

Milan’s poor home form is another worry, to say the least. Oddly, the Rossoneri have done much better on the road than they have at the Stadio San Siro. They’ve lost just once in their travels, while winning 12 times, but at home is a totally different story. Prior to the latest international break, Milan were dumped out of the Europa League after losing to Manchester United, which made it five losses in their last eight home games across all competitions. In Serie A, their home record reads as six wins, four draws, and four losses, so it certainly pales in comparison to their sparkling record away from home.

Fortunately for Milan, perhaps, they do have a strong home record when it comes to taking on upcoming opponents Sampdoria. The Diavolo have lost just one of their last seven clashes against Blucerchiati at the Stadio San Siro, and have won four of their last six meetings overall.

And Pioli, who has had to contend with injuries all season, has finally started to recover some of his key players. Both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hakan Calhanoglu, who have been on the treatment table for various periods this campaign, were not only involved but also got themselves on the score-sheet during Milan’s recent 3-2 win over Fiorentina. So, while he will be missing players like Mario Mandzukic, Alessio Romagnoli, and Davide Calabria, he’s gotten some key personnel back. And Ante Rebic has seen his previous two-match ban reduced to one, which is a another huge boost for the hosts.

As for Sampdoria, they come into this match having just one of their last five games – a less than 1-0 result over relegation-threatened Torino. At this point, all Claudio Ranieri’s side are looking for is to ensure that they aren’t relegated next season. Usually, 40 points is the magic numbers. The Blucerchiati have picked up 35, with plenty of time to spare between now and the end of May to earn at least five more points. So, with that in mind, and presently sitting in 10th spot, all they’re playing for at this point is, well, merely to secure a mid-table safe spot. They’re not going to qualify for Europe, and it’s highly unlikely they’ll get relegated, so for all intents and purposes, Sampdoria can pretty much just cruise along until the conclusion of this campaign.

That doesn’t mean they’ll just roll over, either. Certainly, they’ll arrive at the Stadio San Siro and make an attempt to cause Milan some problems. But in essence, this game couldn’t come at a better time for the Rossoneri, as they will be playing a side who already may be in vacation mode and not so keen on over-exerting themselves. It’s the hosts, after all, who have it all to play for. Will they be able to seize advantage and try to re-gain some of that lost ground on Inter, who will be facing a Bologna side who have recently discovered some form later in the day?