In November, Palermo shocked Milan by beating us 2-0 at the
San Siro. (that’s
no April Fool’s Joke.) But that shouldn’t have been as surprising,
given the sage advice “Never
go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.” (Although in that
movie, the Sicilian dies.) But even more shocking is that Zamparini
has kept the same coach for a full year and a half. With only 3 points
on the table above Palermo, though, sadly it could be a shock now for Milan to
come home with three points. One thing is for sure, this midtable rematch
certainly should not be boring.
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| Iachini prays to pull the double on Milan this year |
Palermo has actually done surprisingly well this season,
currently sitting in 11th place. But Iachini is probably more surprised that he
is actually still working at Palermo. Who knew he would be the coach that
Zamparini would keep faith in? After gaining promotion for them last season, he
has done very well for the Sicilian side. So even after Zamparini admitted that
Dybala is too sexy for Palermo and won’t sign a contract renewal, there is
plenty to fear for Milan as we head to Sicily on Saturday.
Palermo are winless in their last five games, including most
recent losses to Juventus and Chievo. So they will be anxious not only to get
home to their families for Easter, but to dispatch of Milan and send us home
with empty Easter baskets. For their Chievo matchup, Iachini lined up
Sorrentino; Vitiello, Andelkovic, Terzi, Daprela; Barreto, Maresca, Rigoni;
Dybala, Vazquez, and Quaison. However Andelkovic will be suspended for this
match, as he saw red in that game. It seems he will also be with out Morganella
and Gonzalez due to injuries.
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| Inzaghi also looks for a miracle |
Inzaghi, on the other hand may also be surprised that he
still has a job, but that would be only if you listen to the media. Or look at
the results. With only three wins this calendar year, all to relegation teams,
Milan seem lucky to be in 8th place. With all the club and management have been
through this past few years, they probably really are lucky to be that high on
the table. But that won’t stop them from heading to Palermo with renewed
determination after a win to going into the international break.
Inzaghi will also have a somewhat renewed squad, with the
return of the likes of De Jong, Bonaventura, De Sciglio, and more. There is
also the miracle that none of Abate, Antonelli, or Cerci were injured while on
national team duty with Conte (not even fake-injured.) Who says Easter isn’t
full of miracles? Because it’s going to take another big miracle for our
defense to keep Vazquez and Dybala off the scoresheet.
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| Will Jack bring us luck again? |
It would literally feel like a miracle for us to dominate
Palermo. But I would be thrilled with any result, just to keep some positive
emotions tied to this squad right now. Both teams are hungry, if not desperate,
for the win, and anything can happen on a lovely spring afternoon in Sicily.
It’s sad to be a midtable team, but more sad that even some of our most devout
fans have contributed to so much negativity. So I will say that I believe in
miracles. Let’s hope Milan can at least give another good performance, if not
settle the score in this Easter midtable rematch.
This post inspired by the music of
The Smiths
Palermo vs. Milan
Saturday, April 4 • 15:00 CEST (9am EDT)
This match is being shown on RAI and BeIN Sports in the U.S.