AC Milan travel to face Bologna on Saturday night as we look to continue our impressive start to the Serie A season.
The Rossoneri currently sit in second place in the standings, just two points adrift of leaders Napoli who still boast a perfect record after eight games.
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In turn, we can’t afford to slip up if we wish to keep up the pace set by Luciano Spalletti’s side, and with a packed schedule, it certainly becomes a tricky balancing act for Stefano Pioli to maintain our good domestic form.
Milan will of course be looking to bounce back after our defeat to Porto in the Champions League in midweek, and so it’s important that the players selected for this encounter are fresh and ready to produce a positive reaction.
Key players still sidelined by injury
While long-term absentees Mike Maignan, Alessandro Plizzari, Alessandro Florenzi and Messias Junior will play no part, Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz are also expected to sit out after their recent positive COVID tests.
Ante Rebic missed out in Porto due to an ankle knock, and so it’s hoped that he has recovered in time to at least be named on the bench to give Pioli a different option if needed.
Milan have no suspension concerns to deal with, but there are key areas in which important decisions will be needed with regards to the starting XI.
Fode Ballo-Toure has struggled in the last two games, both defensively and in possession, and so continuing with him at left-back is a questionable decision. While it’s hoped that he does show improvement and development over time, at this stage, he doesn’t look ready.
With that in mind, there is perhaps an argument in favour of shifting Davide Calabria over to the left side and starting Pierre Kalulu on the right, and so that is a decision for Pioli to make as he continues to deal with the absence of Hernandez.
Elsewhere, Alessio Romagnoli could come back into the starting XI for Simon Kjaer as Pioli rotates to rest key individuals, while it remains to be seen if Samu Castillejo is rewarded after his important contribution against Verona with a rare start to give Alexis Saelemaekers a rest.
Pioli would arguably like to give Rafael Leao the night off too given his heavy workload so far this season, but such is the lack of experience and quality in the back-up options that are fit to feature, it’s a risky move and so time will tell if he sticks by the Portuguese winger.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic still building up his fitness, Olivier Giroud is expected to start up front again, and so it’s hoped that Milan have enough class across the pitch to secure all three points and maintain our excellent start to the domestic campaign.
