:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63323873/1081425676.jpg.0.jpg)
Date: 30 March 2019
Time: 20.30 Rome, 3.30 PM Eastern, 19.30 UTC
Venue: Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy
Previous Result: October 28, 2018 Milan 3-2 Sampdoria
How To Watch: ESPN+ in the United States; DAZN in Canada,Italy, Japan, Austria, & Germany, SuperSport 9 in Nigeria and much of Africa; beIN Sports 1 & beIN Sports Connect in Australia; Sky Sports 3 NZ & Sky GO NZ in New Zealand; beIN Sports 2 & beIN Sports Connect in France; Sport TV 3 in Portugal; ESPN Play Sur in Argentina & most of South America; ESPN Norte & ESPN Play Norte in Mexico and Central America; SONY TEN 2 HD in India; FreeSports TV UK in the UK; Strive Sport in Denmark, Norway & Sweden; ; Many other countries use Rai Italia America or Serie A Pass
See livesoccertv for more information or if you don’t see your country listed.
Back to business. Here's our 23-man squad for matchday 29 ⚫
— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 29, 2019
Ecco i convocati di Mister Gattuso per la trasferta di Marassi ⚫ #SampdoriaMilan pic.twitter.com/zBFIWe06Xt
Milan are finally back after the international break, and they start the last stretch of the season in Genoa, facing off against Sampdoria and looking to get the bad taste of the Derby della Madonnina loss out of their mouth and pick up a victory to get the team rolling before next weekend’s big match against Juventus.
Probable lineup vs. Sampdoria (4-3-3):
— Milan Eye (@MilanEye) March 29, 2019
Donnarumma; Calabria, Romagnoli, Musacchio, Rodriguez; Biglia, Bakayoko, Çalhanoglu; Suso, Piatek, Castillejo [Sky]
The biggest talking point going into this match is the status of Franck Kessie after the Ivorian midfielder got into what appeared to be a fist-fight with Lucas Biglia on the sidelines at the San Siro. Kessie was upset at being subbed off during the Derby against Inter Milan, and emotions and tensions boiled over after Biglia confronted Kessie on the sidelines.
The two of them have come out and said everything is fine between the two of them, but in the meantime, it appears that Kessie will be punished by Gennaro Gattuso by reportedly being benched for this match. It’s also being reported that Lucas Paquetà will also start on the bench, as Gattuso looks to give the Brazil international a break after a busy international break for the midfielder. Paquetà has also looked to be tired and his form has dropped over the past few weeks after a hot start back in January and February.
The ageless Fabio Quagliarella has been Sampdoria’s talisman this season, and the club’s fortunes have totally rested on his shoulders. Milan have been fairly solid defensively since the start of 2019, with the exception of the Inter match, and so limiting his chances will be key for the Rossoneri to win this match.
Milan are in fourth place and still very much in the running for third place and are looking to cement their Champions League status for next year. A good win on the road before returning home to face off against Udinese early next week would go a long way towards putting some distance between themselves and Lazio, AS Roma, Atalanta, and Torino for the final Champions League spot.
Sampdoria sit in ninth place, but are only three points behind sixth-placed Lazio and if they are to challenge for a European spot, they will also need to get a result from this match. Milan, if the team plays like they are capable of playing, should win this match, but this team needs to put distractions and the Derby loss behind them, lest Sampdoria surprise them.
What do you think, will Milan pick up all three points on the road? Or will the distractions be too much for the club to overcome? Let us know in the comments.