AC Milan face another difficult assignment this weekend as we travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta in Serie A.
The Rossoneri will be looking to bounce back after defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, and they don’t come much more difficult than Atalanta away to follow up what was a gruelling encounter for Stefano Pioli’s men.
READ MORE: Bennacer finds form to hand Milan major boost at crucial time
Nevertheless, Milan remain unbeaten after six league games, picking up 16 points and sitting in second place in the standings, just two points adrift of leaders Napoli.
Further, we enjoyed success on our last trip to Bergamo having sealed Champions League qualification in the last game of last season, and so it’s hoped that will set the trend for the upcoming encounters too.
Kessie to be dropped, Kjaer could return
Following his red card against Atleti and his disappointing form since returning from injury, there is arguably a strong case to be made in favour of Franck Kessie dropping to the bench for this one.
There is no doubt about the quality that he possesses and the importance he holds in this team, but as he goes through a difficult period in terms of his form, it’s perhaps the sensible move from Pioli to leave him out.
What makes that potential decision even more sensible is the fact that both Ismael Bennacer and Sandro Tonali are in great shape at this moment in time, with the former putting on an excellent display in midweek while Tonali has been impressive from the start of the campaign.
In turn, this is an opportune moment to see how that particular partnership works in the heart of the midfield, and thus it could make life very difficult for Kessie when trying to break back into the starting XI.
Elsewhere, Simon Kjaer could be in line to return having been rested this past week. The Danish stalwart remains an influential lynchpin in the backline but he will need to be managed given the number of games this season, and so he could come back in at the expense of Alessio Romagnoli.
That said, our club captain has been in fine form too since coming back into the side, and so it will be interesting to see who gets the nod in that department.
Elsewhere, it could be as we were across the board with the rest of the side picking itself as we look to go as close to full strength as possible.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alessandro Florenzi, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Rade Krunic are all expected to miss out, while Olivier Giroud is gradually getting himself back to full fitness and so may well need to be content with a place on the bench again this week.
It’s a strong side that Milan can put out regardless, and it’s hoped that there’s enough quality to get a positive result on Sunday to continue our fine start to the season.
