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Ricardo Rodriguez Addresses AC Milan Injury Crisis Ahead of Juventus Showdown
November 8, 2018
AC Milan have been plunged into an injury crisis ahead of Sunday's Serie A showdown with Juventus, and full-back Ricardo Rodriguez has acknowledged the latest setbacks have "hurt" the squad.
The Rossoneri announced Lucas Biglia is set to miss four months on Thursday, per Football Italia. Hours later they lost Franck Kessie, Hakan Calhanoglu and Mateo Musacchio to injuries in the 1-1 draw against Real Betis in the UEFA Europa League, per ESPN FC's Matteo Bonetti:
Musacchio's injury, in particular, looked bad, as the defender left the pitch on a stretcher and wearing a neck brace after a collision with Kessie.
Rodriguez explained what an impact that had on the squad in an interview with Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia): "Clearly, we were all scared. He is an important player, it hurts to see him like this, especially as we already had so many injuries. He's strong, he'll recover quickly."
Per the report, Mattia Caldara, Jack Bonaventura, Davide Calabria and Gonzalo Higuain are all injured as well.
Musacchio's injury was a scary one, as explained by sportswriter Siavoush Fallahi:
The wave of injuries comes at a particularly bad time for Milan, who had won three straight matches in Serie A since the shock defeat at home to Betis. The draw on the road leaves the Rossoneri in second place in Group F, tied with Olympiacos and one point behind the Spaniards.
Milan face must-win contests against Dudelange and the Greeks to advance to the knockout stages, but before it gets to that they'll face Juventus and Lazio Roma domestically.
Juventus, in particular, will be a difficult challenge. The Bianconeri had won all of their matches bar one before Wednesday's shock UEFA Champions League defeat against Manchester United, and they'll be out to make a statement at the San Siro.
Manager Gennaro Gattuso said he's not going to use the many absences as an excuse:
Milan sit in fourth place in Serie A, 10 points behind leaders Juventus. The Rossoneri have lost their five last confrontations with the Bianconeri, last winning in the Supercoppa Italiana in 2016 after penalties.