AC Milan host Empoli on Friday night at San Siro, as Stefano Pioli looks for his side to follow up our stunning win over Napoli last time out.
The Rossoneri’s 4-0 win in Naples lifted us back up into the top four in Serie A, but with the gap still so small, there is no room for error between now and the end of the season if we wish to secure Champions League football for next year.
READ MORE: Important fitness boost as key Milan ace available vs Empoli
Pioli has a difficult selection task ahead though, as with the first leg of our Champions League quarter-final tie with Napoli to come next week, there is the possibility that he could look to rotate and rest key players.
However, given we can ill-afford any more dropped points in the league, the expectation is that we’ll go with as close to a full-strength Milan XI as possible, and that’s reflected in the touted line-up below.
Thiaw to come in, Saelemaekers rewarded with start?
Although Pierre Kalulu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set to remain sidelined, Pioli does have a strong group at his disposal. With that in mind, he could opt to rest Simon Kjaer in this one, with Malick Thiaw potentially coming back into the side to partner Fikayo Tomori in the heart of the defence.
Given the positive impact the return to a 4-2-3-1 had last weekend, Milan should now stick with that system moving forward as key individuals looked much more comfortable and effective in their respective roles, and the three-man defence perhaps served it’s purpose at the time but isn’t the ideal formation for us.
In turn, Mike Maignan could see Davide Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori and Theo Hernandez line up ahead of him, while Olivier Giroud is expected to lead the line with Rafael Leao lining up on the left side in support of him as he will hope his brace last Sunday will be the spark for a decisive run of form now.
Changes are touted elsewhere though, with the suggestion that Rade Krunic could drop back into a holding role alongside Sandro Tonali for this game, with Ismael Bennacer deployed further up the field in a tactical tweak.
Following his impressive impact off the bench in Naples where he not only scored our fourth goal but looked a constant threat in the time he had on the pitch, Alexis Saelemaekers may well have played himself into contention for a starting berth against Empoli. Especially with the possibility that Pioli doesn’t risk Brahim Diaz despite confirming his availability in his press conference on Thursday, the Belgian staked his claim and will hope to build on that.
It’s a strong XI as we would expect, and it’s hoped that we can build on the momentum and confidence from last Sunday night and follow it up with another crucial win ahead of our European showdown next week.
Predicted AC Milan XI vs Empoli: Maignan, Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez, Tonali, Krunic, Saelemaekers, Bennacer, Leao, Giroud.
Image courtesy of La Gazzetta dello Sport.