MILAN, June 24, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - AC Milan will begin their Serie A title

defence with the visit of Udinese after the 2022/23 season's fixture list was
announced on Friday.

Stefano Pioli's side then face Atalanta, Bologna and Sassuolo before hosting
the first Milan derby of the season in early September.

Milan took the Scudetto from Inter on the final day of last season's
enthralling title race and will likely be doing battle with their local
rivals -- who are set to bring back Romelu Lukaku -- for the title in a
campaign which starts earlier than usual.

The opening round of fixtures are on August 13, due to the World Cup which
kicks off in Qatar in November, and finishes on June 4 next year.

The first week of the season will be held around when Italian families
traditionally set off to the seaside, lakes or mountains on holiday to escape
the intense summer heat.

The league will break from November 13 to make space for the World Cup but
unlike the Premier League will not return in December, with the action
starting up again on January 4.

Inter start with a trip to Serie B champions Lecce, one of only three teams
from Italy's southern regions, before facing Spezia, Lazio and promoted
Cremonese before their first local derby of the season.

Should the season go down to the wire as it did in May, there are some big
matches in the final few weeks which could have an impact on the destination
of the title.

- Berlusconi back -

Juventus, hotly-tipped to sign free agent Paul Pogba, host Milan in the
penultimate round of fixtures, when Inter await rivals Atalanta at the San
Siro.

The week before Inter travel south to Napoli, who were well in the title race
last season until they fell away in the final weeks of the campaign.

Milan fans will welcome back former owner Silvio Berlusconi in late October
when promoted Monza visit the San Siro during the 11th round of fixtures.

Alongside right-hand man Adriano Galliani, former Italian prime minister and
media mogul Berlusconi took Monza into the Italian top flight for the first
time in their history via the Serie B play-offs, four years after buying the
club.

Monza will host Torino and Udinese and travel to Napoli in an intriguing
start for the ambitious club, who signed former Italy defender Andrea
Ranocchia this month and are close to taking highly-rated goalkeeper Alessio
Cragno from relegated Cagliari.

Berlusconi and Galliani won 29 trophies with Milan between 1986 and 2016 --
including five of seven European Cups -- when the club was sold to Chinese
investors led by Li Yonghong.

Li was then forced to hand Milan over to American investment fund Elliott two
years later after failing to repay debts taken out to acquire the club.

Milan announced earlier this month that they would be sold to another US fund
RedBird over the summer.