AC Milan face Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday knowing that we must win to keep our hopes of advancing alive.
The Rossoneri remain without a point after three consecutive defeats in Europe, and so time is quickly running out if we wish to progress to the knockout stages.
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In turn, a win over Porto is vital ahead of clashes against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, and so it’s hoped Stefano Pioli and his players are capable getting all three points in midweek.
Changes to the Milan line-up are expected as we perhaps also have one eye on the Derby della Madonnina against Inter on Sunday, while our impressive win over Roma at the weekend will also have taken a lot out of the players as we try to keep the squad in peak condition.
Kjaer to rest, Brahim Diaz set for return
Given Milan’s hectic fixture schedule and the calibre of opponent we’ll have faced by the end of this week, it’s imperative that we keep everyone fresh and minimise the risk of injury as much as possible.
With that in mind, it would come as no surprise if Simon Kjaer is rested in midweek, with Alessio Romagnoli a more than capable replacement. Our captain is arguably also better suited to a game such as this, where we will hope to dictate and dominate the tempo and possession at home.
There could be similar thinking up front after Zlatan Ibrahimovic started at Roma this past Sunday, and so rotating him and Olivier Giroud will be key to keep them both fit and healthy, with the French stalwart arguably well placed to get the nod for this outing.
Elsewhere, it’s as close to a strongest starting Milan XI as possible, with Sandro Tonali perhaps in line to start over Franck Kessie as he deserves to be playing a bigger role for us in the coming weeks following his strong start to the campaign.
Additionally, we’re boosted by the return of Brahim Diaz after his recent stint on the sidelines following a positive COVID test.
The Spanish playmaker’s creativity and attacking threat in the final third has certainly been missed, and his return will undoubtedly add a much-needed dynamic to our attack as we look to probe and cause the Porto backline problems.
Diaz, 22, has four goals and two assists in nine appearances so far this season, which in itself showcases what he brings to our attacking play.
Milan are arguably quite unfortunate to sit bottom of Group B with no points to show for our efforts thus far, but with a four-point deficit to both Porto and Atletico Madrid to cut out, it’s vital we win on Wednesday to finally kick-start our European campaign.
