AC Milan midfielder Yacine Adli is reportedly set for a rare chance to impress as he’s been tipped to start against Cagliari on Wednesday.
The Rossoneri travel to Sardinia in midweek as we look to build on our win over Verona last weekend, but Stefano Pioli is expected to make changes given our busy schedule.
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Milan host Lazio on Saturday before resuming Champions League duty next week away at Borussia Dortmund, and so the squad players will need to step up and deliver.
With Rade Krunic the latest key player to pick up an injury, much has been said about what Pioli will do to replace him, and while it was initially suggested that Tijjani Reijnders could drop back and deputise in that deeper-lying role, Antonio Vitiello now reports that Adli is expected to start.
The 23-year-old has made just six appearances for the club since initially joining us in August 2021, and although he rejoined Bordeaux on loan for a time following the move, he has still played a severely limited role thus far.
In turn, there will be both intrigue and excitement over what he can bring to the Milan XI, and it’s hoped that he proves to be a valuable option who can thrive in that important role in the heart of our midfield.
Meanwhile, Vitiello adds that Davide Calabria has recovered from his injury setback and will make the trip with the rest of the squad, although there will be no Luka Jovic, as he has stayed behind at Milanello to work on his fitness.
That in turn should see Noah Okafor get the nod up top to give Olivier Giroud a much-needed rest, while it remains to be seen how much rotation Pioli goes with.
The expectation is that Marco Sportiello will continue between the posts, with Theo Hernandez returning to the line-up at left-back. Samuel Chukwueze and Christian Pulisic could provide support in the final third for Okafor, and so it will be an important test that we must pass with our squad players, with the ever-decisive Rafael Leao potentially rested on the bench too.