AC Milan travel to Genoa on Saturday and Stefano Pioli could be set to make several changes to his starting line-up for the encounter.
The Rossoneri were disappointing in the Champions League in midweek, picking up a point in a goalless draw at Borussia Dortmund as we were wasteful in front of goal once again.
READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Dortmund: Wasteful Rossoneri but key duo impress
In turn, there could be changes up top as Pioli rotates, as we look for an important victory ahead of the international break to keep our positive Serie A form going.
Genoa though are unbeaten in their last two and having picked up a 4-1 win over Roma at home just over a week ago, it promises to be a difficult assignment and we’ll have to be at our best to prevail.
Adli, Okafor back in as part of four Milan changes
Mike Maignan is expected to continue between the posts, but there could be a change to the defence in front of him, with Alessandro Florenzi possibly coming in to replace Davide Calabria.
It’s perhaps a concern if we continue to rotate at right-back as it prevents us from having a settled backline, with Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez likely to complete our defence.
Nevertheless, with his work ethic and industrious style of play, Florenzi is capable of filling that void well, and it’s hoped that he can produce a positive performance to help us build a solid base on which we can win this game.
In midfield, Tijjani Reijnders and Yunus Musah will remain in the Milan XI with Ruben Loftus-Cheek ruled out due to injury, but there could be a reshuffle with the Dutchman moved back to his more comfortable advanced role, as Yacine Adli returns to play in the deeper-lying position.
That in turn should give us a better balance in midfield, and we’ll need their technical quality, energy and tenacity to try and dictate the tempo and possession in the game.
While Rafael Leao is expected to keep his place, Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze could come in for Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic respectively, as per MilanNews.
Okafor will be looking to score in a third consecutive league outing as he is starting to make a decisive impact in games, but we need to see more from Chukwueze in this one if he gets the nod, as he’s still without a goal or assist in eight appearances so far this season.
Granted, many of those outings have been cameo efforts off the bench, but we need to show more quality in the final third on Saturday night, otherwise there could be another frustrating evening ahead if we lack of creative quality and don’t take our chances.
Milan have started strongly in Serie A as we sit joint level at the top with 18 points from our first seven games, and there has been a good response after that disastrous defeat to Inter. However, it’s imperative that we sign off ahead of the break with another three important points to keep setting the pace.
Image courtesy of La Gazzetta dello Sport.
