After feasting on football like those who have starved for months, this season is rapidly coming to an end. We are away to Sampdoria tomorrow for our penultimate match, and it just feels like we need to savor every last morsel of this incredibly eventful season. Starting in trauma yet again, under Giampaolo, then just starting to grow into our own again under Pioli as a global pandemic hit. After starving for football for almost four months, we were treated to a miraculous transformation of our beloved team, and now we will have to take another break. Reminiscing and never wanting to let go of this team and this moment, let’s make it one more for the road.
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| Flying higher |
Sampdoria currently sit 15th on the table, clear of relegation. They were blanked by Juventus on Sunday 2-0. In that match, Ranieri lined up Audero; Tonelli, Yoshida, Chabot, Augello; Depaoli, Thorsby, Linetty, Jankto; Ramirez, and Quagliarella. Thorsby received a red card in this match, so will be suspended. Ranieri will also be missing Ekdal to injury, while Chabot is in doubt due to fitness. Samp have nothing to gain and nothing really to lose but their pride, so it will be interesting to see how hard they fight coming to the end of this marathon of matches.
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| Sampdoria's talisman will not be the only old man on the pitch |
At least Quagliarella can look forward to facing a striker that is older than him in Ibrahimovic. Milan’s spirit animal made his debut against Sampdoria in January, only to see the match end in a 0-0 draw. So much has changed since then, Sampdoria would be incredibly fortunate to get a clean sheet against this iteration of Milan, and Ibrahimovic is now reportedly in talks of renewing, too.
Pioli is still undefeated since the return and got a contract renewal last week, too. That has to give extra confidence to the team to go and bring home all three points as they strive for that fifth place finish. They will have to do it without Musacchio, Romagnoli, and Conti, though. The good news is that Bennacer and Theo Hernandez will be back and rested from suspension. Speaking of rested, Milan played on Friday and Sampdoria played on Sunday, so we have a slight advantage there.
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| This is not even the same team Samp faced before |
Milan are not going to let up, that much they have made clear. They are fighting for every last point in hopes of the best standing possible for the Europa League. As fans, we should not let up, either. After being starved of all sports for so long, this is our chance to savor the last bits of this season and enjoy a team in amazing form. Let’s support our team from afar and make this one more for the road.
This post inspired by Stacy Kent’s “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)”
Serie A Week 37
Sampdoria vs. Milan
Wednesday, July 29 • 19:30 CEST (1:30 EDT)
This match can be streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.