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The 2015/2016 fixture list has been unveiled by Lega Serie A. Milan's new season is closer and closer. It's time to forget what happened last year (and the year before...and the year before that...) and dream about the goal for this new-and-improved Milan team guided by Siniša Mihajlović.
The road to resurgence is still long, as Milan's fixture list below reveals. It will be interesting to see if the team has really improved:
Round | Opponent | Home | Away |
1 | Fiorentina | Jan. 17, 2016 | Aug. 23, 2015 |
2 | Empoli | Aug. 30, 2015 | Jan. 24, 2016 |
3 | Inter | Jan. 31, 2016 | Sep. 13, 2015 |
4 | Palermo | Sep. 20, 2015 | Feb. 2, 2016 |
5 | Udinese | Feb. 7, 2016 | Sep. 23, 2015 |
6 | Genoa | Feb. 14, 2016 | Sep. 27, 2015 |
7 | Napoli | Oct. 4, 2015 | Feb. 21, 2016 |
8 | Torino | Feb. 28, 2016 | Oct. 18, 2015 |
9 | Sassuolo | Oct. 25, 2015 | Mar. 6, 2016 |
10 | Chievo | Oct. 28, 2015 | Mar. 13, 2016 |
11 | Lazio | Mar. 20, 2016 | Nov. 1, 2015 |
12 | Atalanta | Nov. 11, 2015 | Apr. 3, 2016 |
13 | Juventus | Apr. 10, 2016 | Nov. 22, 2015 |
14 | Sampdoria | Nov. 29, 2015 | Apr. 17, 2016 |
15 | Carpi | Apr. 20, 2016 | Dec. 6, 2015 |
16 | Hellas Verona | Dec. 13, 2015 | Apr. 24, 2016 |
17 | Frosinone | May 1, 2016 | Dec. 20, 2015 |
18 | Bologna | Jan. 6, 2016 | May 8, 2016 |
19 | Roma | May 15, 2016 | Jan. 10, 2016 |
Dates remain subject to change due to scheduling conflicts or other issues.
The full fixture list is available here. Milanisti will surely notice that there are a lot of intriguing matches at the beginning and at the end of the schedule, especially for Milan. The Rossoneri will face a tough season opener in Florence, and only two weeks later, they'll meet Inter for the classic Derby della Madonnina. The second half of the season should be a bit easier for Milan, hypothetically, as they'll face the three clubs promoted from the Serie B (Carpi, Frosinone and Bologna). However, Juventus - at round 13 - and Roma - at round 20 - await, and that will make things challenging indeed.
Now that the fixture list has been unveiled, what are the expectations for the 2015/2016 season? Milan's president, Silvio Berlusconi, has finally opted to splash some cash in order to build a competitive team after a couple of disappointing - euphemistically - years. It's not urealistic to think that the Rossoneri could seriously contend for a European spot - maybe the biggest one - this season. The signings of Carlos Bacca, Luìz Adriano and Andrea Bertolacci are concrete examples that the club's expectations have returned to the old standards, and that's definitely something Milanisti should celebrate.