AC Milan travel to face Venezia on Sunday as we look to follow up our impressive win over Roma in midweek.
The Rossoneri kick-started 2022 with three points at home against the Giallorossi, closing the gap at the top of the Serie A table with rivals Inter not in action.
READ MORE: Five big talking points as Milan start 2022 with convincing win over Roma
Stefano Pioli will hope that we can build on that result now and put together a good run of form as we continue to target a Scudetto this year, and while it will undoubtedly be a tricky test away at Venezia, we will be highly fancied to get the win given the quality in the side, despite significant absentees still leaving us short-handed.
Nevertheless, Pioli is expected to shuffle the pack for this one with changes to the side that saw off Roma, and it’s hoped that they can make a strong start as we did in that game and make it a comfortable afternoon’s work.
Ibrahimovic, Leao and Bakayoko come into Milan XI
While Olivier Giroud was on the scoresheet on Thursday and played a key role in our second, this could be a game for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come in and try to bully the Venezia backline to give us a focal point up top.
The Swede is struggling for goals recently, as seen with his missed penalty in midweek, and so this could be an opportunity for him to rediscover his goalscoring touch and find some form ahead of a pivotal period in the campaign.
Furthermore, given the quick turnaround between the two games, it might be the sensible decision to rotate and try and keep our two veteran frontman fit in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere, Rafael Leao was electric off the bench in midweek and so if he’s deemed to be fit enough for a more significant role, it would be a real boost to see him start this one as his pace in behind the Venezia defence could be crucial to unlocking them.
Not only that, but the 22-year-old stretches the pitch with his movement and speed, while his ability to be more direct and create openings could be vital in what might well be a frustrating game for us if the home side try to shut up shop and get something out of it.
While that covers the attack, Tiemoue Bakayoko is expected to get the green light to start in midfield instead of Rade Krunic. It was a nervy start off the bench for the midfielder against Roma, as he lost possession with a heavy touch just seconds after coming in, which in turn drew groans from the San Siro faithful.
However, to his credit, he settled quickly soon after that and looked more assured next to Sandro Tonali, and ultimately we need that duo to work in the next few weeks with both Franck Kessie and Ismael Bennacer absent at the AFCON.
The backline is expected to remain the same depending on if we have any late recoveries from those out with COVID, but given the timeframe having missed the Roma clash just three days ago, it’s unlikely that that will be sufficient time to recover and be given permission to return.
Nevertheless, it’s still a strong XI, and having set the tone early against Roma and made our quality count, Milan will be hoping to do the same against Venezia this weekend.
