Milan host Genoa at San Siro on Sunday in the early kick-off, and Stefano Pioli is expected to make two changes to his starting line-up that beat Parma last time out.
The Rossoneri will be forced into a key change up front after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s red card in the win, with the 39-year-old receiving a one-match suspension in midweek.
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In turn, that has sparked debate over who should step in for him this weekend, and the suggestions across the board are that Rafael Leao will be given the nod to lead the line for Milan, as noted by MilanNews.
The Portuguese starlet came off the bench to wrap up the 3-1 victory over Parma, and he has impressed as a substitute as he offers pace and directness in the latter stages of games.
However, he hasn’t particularly impressed as the lead striker in previous appearances in that role, and so this is a big game for him to continue to prove himself to both Pioli and the club hierarchy.
Ante Rebic has also struggled in that position and so it’s arguably the sensible move to keep him out on the left flank where he has proven to be decisive, while Mario Mandzukic is still lacking match fitness after his recent spell on the sidelines due to injury.
That aside though, it’s likely to be a familiar Milan XI with one other change being touted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, as seen in their graphic below, with Diogo Dalot being tipped to come in for Pierre Kalulu at right-back as Davide Calabria is still out.
Consistency has been a problem for the Man Utd loanee, as he has shown flashes of quality but has also struggled at times too.
That said, he can offer more quality going forward, and particularly with Genoa perhaps looking to set up defensively to make life difficult for us and to counter attack, Dalot’s pace, ability to get up and down the right flank and his delivery could all prove to be valuable qualities in our attempt to secure all three points this weekend.
The same message applies each week between now and the end of the season for Milan, and that is that we simply can’t afford to slip up.
With just eight games to go, we’re still in a fight for Champions League qualification, but Pioli will be delighted that he’s got options at his disposal to make changes, while boasting what is very close to a full strength XI.
