No, you didn’t miss Milan going back in time to qualify for
the Champions League and being drawn with Fiorentina. Our destination tomorrow
is actually Empoli, the newly promoted side that also hails from Tuscany. And
it’s certainly not going to be a Champions League match, it’s just one of those
silly midweek games that Serie A has to throw in to make up for international
breaks. So change your plans if you need to, because Milan need our support as
they spend this Tuesday in Tuscany.
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| The Young and the not-so-young: former Milan youth Verdi and Big Mac |
You may know Empoli simply as “that club that Saponara came
from,” but there is more to them than just our poor injured player who just
underwent surgery on his knee. For example, did you know that our own Abate
spent the 2007-08 season on loan to Empoli before he broke into Milan’s first
team? (That was Empoli’s most recent season in Serie A, so I’m not sure if that
was a good thing for them. I'm just saying.) They played in Serie B since then, and narrowly
missed promotion a year ago, losing the promotion playoffs to Livorno. Last
season, Coach Maurizio Sarri made no mistake, he ensured they finished second
in Serie B, earning them direct promotion to Serie A.
So here they are, with a few familiar faces. Such as Simone
Verdi, Milan youth product, who was sold to Torino and is now on loan to
Empoli. Or Massimo “Big Mac” Maccarone, who at age 35 is trying to prove that
age is just a number (and also enjoying playing in Serie A again… I bet he
thought he’d finish his career in Serie B.) The Azzurri, nicknamed for their blue kits, have not gotten off
to an ideal start thus far. They lost to Udinese in their season opener, then
gave Roma some trouble but rightfully lost 1-0 to the capitol club. However on
Saturday, they came back from a two goal deficit to draw with fellow promotees,
Cesena. So only one point in three games.
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| The baby-faced young Barba may not ever be able to grow into that last name |
In the game with Cesena, Sarri lined up Sepe; Barba, Duarte,
Hisaj, Rugani; Valdifiori, Croce, Verdi, Vecino; Tavano and Pucciarelli. As far
as I can tell, he’s got a full squad, but having just played on Saturday, he
may make some changes to that starting lineup.
Inzaghi, on the other hand, has plenty of injuries to
contend with. Montolivo is still out long term, even if he may return sooner
than expected. The aforementioned Saponara is out for another three or more
weeks, too, as is Diego Lopez. Alex has a groin injury, it is unclear when
he’ll return. Essien turned up with a foot injury ahead of Saturday’s match, so
he is doubtful. And the newest on the list is Menez, who has a minor thigh
problem, and will likely be rested for tomorrow’s match. Muntari injured our sensibilities with a very poor game on Saturday, and Tassotti indicated that 'there might be some changes in the midfield.' Let's hope so.
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| Okay, Inzaghi, please don't injure the players with the celebrations, we need them. |
Despite playing away to Empoli, I know the squad would love
to avenge Saturday’s loss with a clear cut victory. But there is a tough little
Empoli team in the way who are also desperately in need of points, have a full
squad, in addition to playing at home. And even if
their stadium holds less than 20,000, that’s still a lot of advantages. But
this is a game where grinta can make the difference between three points and
coming home empty handed. So let’s hope our boys are up to the challenge,
getting three points on a Tuesday in Tuscany.
This post inspired by the music of
The Smiths
Empoli vs. Milan
Tuesday, Septermber 23 • 20:45 CEST (2:45 EDT)
This match is being shown on RAI in the US
Check comments for stream links ahead of the match