It has been a long time since Milan entered the Coppa Italia at the third-round stage, but this is what they must do on Monday when they take on Perugia at San Siro in their first competitive match of the 2015/16 season.
The Rossoneri finished 10th in Serie A last season, their lowest league position for 16 years, and thus must face an early Coppa Italia challenge. Usually, they would join the competition in January.
This is the price the club must pay for a poor season, but with a new coach and multiple new players, this cup clash could come as a welcome opportunity to forge cohesion ahead of a difficult Serie A opener away to Fiorentina on Sunday, Aug.