AC Milan host Udinese at San Siro on Friday evening, with Stefano Pioli’s men needing to produce a reaction after the disappointment against Salernitana.
The Rossoneri dropped two crucial points last time out, and while we were fortunate that our rivals at the top of the Serie A table also slipped up, we can ill-afford any repeat results moving forward in the ongoing scrap for the Scudetto.
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With that in mind, Pioli will no doubt go with the strongest XI available, and that could see minimal changes to the side that we saw last weekend, which in turns means that those who disappointed against Salernitana will get a chance to put things right.
Bennacer suspended, Kessie to replace him in only change
Ismael Bennacer misses out on this occasion through suspension, and so Milan will be forced into one change in midfield.
Simon Kjaer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic remain sidelined by injury, while January signing Marko Lazetic is making progress but this game comes too early for him.
The expectation is that Franck Kessie will step in and partner Sandro Tonali in the heart of the side, and so it’s hoped that pairing can control the tempo of the game through dominant possession, and also provide a solid shield of protection in front of the defence.
Elsewhere, Mike Maignan, Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Alessio Romagnoli and Theo Hernandez are set to form the backline, while Messias Jr, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud will try to find the answers in the final third and ensure we’re clinical in front of goal to get the win.
After his goal off the bench last time out, Ante Rebic is undoubtedly pushing to now break back into the Milan starting XI, but this one perhaps comes too soon for that as he’ll be an important option to try and influence the game in the latter stages if needed, given his ability to make decisive contributions.
That aside though, there is little else for Milan to change through a combination of a strongest potential XI and injury concerns, and so the hope is that it’s enough to get a positive result, get ourselves back on track and hopefully see our rivals slip up again to help us begin to open up a lead at the top of the standings.
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Kessie; Messias, Diaz, Leao; Giroud. Coach: Stefano Pioli.
