AC Milan are back in Serie A action on Wednesday, as the Rossoneri prepare for a trip to face Salernitana in our return following the World Cup break.
Milan’s last competitive game was back on November 13 as we scraped past Fiorentina, and that result has left us eight points adrift of league leaders Napoli with 15 games gone.
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In turn, Stefano Pioli will be fully aware that we can ill-afford to drop further points in the attempted defence of our Scudetto, and so it’s imperative that we start positively and build momentum immediately.
Injuries a concern for Pioli
His task has been made more difficult by injuries though, with La Gazzetta dello Sport noting that Mike Maignan, Alessandro Florenzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Divock Origi, Rade Krunic, Messias Junior, Fode Ballo-Toure and Ante Rebic are all expected to be missing in midweek.
That severely limits Pioli’s options in specific areas, and so it will be a difficult assignment made harder by the fact that we still can’t avoid injury setbacks to key players.
Nevertheless, there is some good news as Davide Calabria will return to the starting XI to make his first league appearance since our win over Empoli on October 1, and his presence at right-back will be a major boost given his defensive and offensive qualities to go along with his leadership and experience.
Further, after resuming group training at the weekend, both Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud are being tipped to start despite returning later than others after their World Cup exploits, and so while it remains to be seen if they are indeed fit enough to start, it’s a crucial boost for Pioli – particularly up front.
Charles De Ketelaere could be an option to play up top if needed, but the better option for Milan is arguably to have him playing behind Giroud as he searches for form and confidence after an underwhelming start to life at the club thus far.
It’s largely as we were though with Ciprian Tatarusanu continuing to deputise for Maignan, with Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori completing the backline.
Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer will continue to be the engine room of this side and their influence in midfield will be vital as we look to control proceedings, while De Ketelaere and Giroud will be provided with support on the flanks by Rafael Leao and Alexis Saelemaekers.
Time will tell if there are any surprises or late fitness boosts, but that is still a strong Milan XI, and it’s just hoped that we are switched on and put in a strong performance as a slow start to the resumption of the league could be a real setback for our title hopes.
