MILAN FUTURO v ASCOLI: MATCH PREVIEW

Milan Futuro are returning to the pitch, and they'll do so on home soil once again. After facing Carpi in Busto Arsizio last time out, the young Rossoneri are now set to take on Massimo Carrera's Ascoli in Serie C Group B. A big match awaits, with the team looking to record their first victory of the league season. Here is our Match Preview to introduce the clash.

LATEST FROM MILAN FUTURO
The last two weeks have seen many of the Rossoneri's players away on international duty. And many of these players impressed, most notably for Italy: Diego Sia found the net twice in the U19s' international friendly tournament triumph, while Bartesaghi and Zeroli featured for the U20s in the Elite League. Also deserving of a special mention is Hugo Cuenca, who came on in the closing stages of Paraguay v Brazil to win his first cap for his country, and the evening was only made even more memorable by the Paraguayans' 1-0 victory in World Cup qualifying. Those who weren't called up were hard at work at Milanello ahead of an intense September that will also see the Rossoneri play two midweek matches: the rearranged clash against Torres and the home game against SPAL.

LATEST FROM ASCOLI
After the disappointment of relegation from Serie B last season, Ascoli have started the 2024/25 with mixed results. While they've won both of their home matches (2-1 against Gubbio in the Serie C Coppa Italia and 1-0 against Pianese in the league), things haven't gone quite so well on the road: they've drawn once (2-2 away to SPAL) and lost twice (2-1 against Arezzo in the cup and by the same scoreline against table-topping Virtus Entella last time out in Serie C). The team underwent a lot of changes in the summer (although former Juventus and Spartak Moscow coach Massimo Carrera remains in charge), starting from a new-look attack that now features Simone Corazza, who was a key figure in Cesena's promotion to Serie B in 2023/24 and has already scored twice this campaign. Other players to keep an eye on include midfielder Varone, who also joined from Cesena, former Modena attacking playmaker Tremolada, as well as right-back Adjapong and centre-back Gagliolo (not available against the Rossoneri), both of whom have relevant Serie A experience.

"Milan Futuro are a high-quality and young side full of running, and they work alongside the first team," said Carrera on the eve of the match. "Their players know each other well, and we'll have to do a lot more than we did against Entella. Action is what is needed, not words: we want to take the game to our opponents and avoid the mistakes we made in Chiavari."

WHERE TO WATCH MILAN FUTURO
In Italy, Milan Futuro v Ascoli will be live on TV on Sky Sport and NOW from 18:30 CEST. Don't miss out on coverage via acmilan.com, the Rossoneri Instagram and the AC Milan Official App.

LATEST FROM SERIE C
Gabriele Sacchi has been selected to be the referee for the match. The linesmen will be Tini Brunozzi and Pandolfo, while Pasculli will perform the role of fourth official.

Matchday 4 in Serie C Group B will take place over four days. Kicking things off will be Arezzo v Legnago and Virtus Entella v Carpi at 20:45 CEST on Friday 13 September. On Saturday, Milan Futuro v Ascoli and Vis Pesaro v Pontedera will get underway at 18:30 CEST, after which Campobasso v Torres and Sestri Levante v SPAL are scheduled (20:45 CEST). There will be two 20:45 CEST kick-offs on both Sunday (Perugia v Gubbio and Ternana v Pineto) and Monday (Lucchese v Rimini and Pescara v Pianese).

The current league table: Virtus Entella 9; Pescara and Gubbio 7; Pontedera and Vis Pesaro 6; Carpi and Pineto 5; Torres*, Perugia, Pianese, Ascoli, Lucchese and Ternana 4; Campobasso and Arezzo 3; Milan Futuro*, Rimini and Sestri Levante 1; Legnago 0; SPAL -2. *one game in hand

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