After a pause for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Serie A joins the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1 as yet another member of Europe's "Big Five" leagues to get underway. Italian football's top flight resumes action on Wednesday, with Milan hoping to close the widening gap between themselves and league leaders Napoli.
However, the Rossoneri have quite a bit of concerns on their hands as they prepare to resume their Serie A campaign with an away game against Salernitana. Stefano Pioli's men suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to PSV in their final game of 2022 to end the year on a foul note. In addition, the loss comes at a huge cost, as both Ante Rebic and Fode Ballo-Toure were injured during the friendly match.
Ballo-Toure is expected to be out for the long term, while Rebic is now a major doubt for Wednesday's away trip to Salernitana due to a thigh strain.
At the moment, Milan currently sit in second spot, with 33 points. Napoli, thanks to their impressive start, are eight points clear with 41 and have yet to lose a game in Serie A this season. Of concern to Milan will be the resurgent form of Juventus, who, thanks to their five game winning streak, have pulled into third spot and now are just two points behind the Diavolo.
That means that a negative result for Pioli's men against Salternitana, coupled with a victory for the Bianconeri over Cremonese, would see Massimiliano Allegri's side overtake them in second spot as the Scudetto race begins to heat up in 2023.
