Ahead of tomorrow evening’s clash against Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium, we can look at the likely AC Milan XI, who will look to get their third successive Serie A victory.
With the monumental game against Newcastle on Wednesday next week, in an ideal world, Stefano Pioli could’ve looked to rest some of his key players for the game, which could decide the future of his job.
Unfortunately, we are in a world where Milan does not have those luxuries available to them. As such, there will likely be very few changes from the game against Frosinone, MilanNews report.
The defence will remain unchanged – due to the success of Theo Hernandez centrally, as Pioli touched upon in his pre-Atalanta press conference. His defensive line was unlucky to not finish with a clean sheet intact. However, this was not the fault of a mishap but rather a lapse in communication.
Instead of opting for the 4-2-3-1, Pioli is due to revert to a 4-3-3 formation. As such, Yunus Musah will likely act as the deepest of the three, giving Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders slightly more advanced roles and a bit more freedom to attack.
Unfortunately for Milan, they will be without Rafael Leao, as the game comes a bit too early. However, after Christian Pulisic’s great performance against Frosinone, this is not calamitous and allows the Portuguese winger to fully focus on being ready for the Magpies in midweek. Samuel Chukwueze will start on the opposing flank, whilst Olivier Giroud will come into the striker spot – displacing Luka Jovic.
Probable Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Hernandez, Florenzi; Loftus-Cheek, Musah, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Giroud, Pulisic.
Bench: Mirante, Nava; Bartesaghi, Simic, Jimenez, Krunic, Bennacer, Pobega, Adli, Chaka Traore, Romero, Jovic, Camarda.
One yellow card from suspension: Musah.
Injured: Sportiello, Kalulu, Kjaer, Thiaw, Pellegrino, Caldara, Leao, Okafor.