AC Milan face a crunch encounter with rivals Inter on Saturday as we look to maintain our 100 percent start to the Serie A season.
The Rossoneri impressed in wins over Bologna, Torino and Roma prior to the international break, and the hope is that it hasn’t disrupted our momentum and rhythm as we face a crucial showdown next.
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Our city rivals have started the campaign in fine form too as they sit above us in the standings on goal difference, and so it promises to be an enthralling showdown that could prove to be important in terms of who keeps their momentum going.
Having named an unchanged starting XI through the first three outings, Milan boss Stefano Pioli will be forced into at least one change for this one, and with the Champions League getting underway next week too, rotation will start to become crucial as we look to compete on multiple fronts.
Tomori suspended, Giroud expected to recover to start
Mike Maignan will continue between the posts, but there will be a change in defence given Fikayo Tomori’s suspension after his red card against Roma last time out.
Simon Kjaer is expected to deputise with Pierre Kalulu recovering from an injury setback, with the Frenchman still in personalised training on Thursday, as per Antonio Vitiello. In turn, the experienced Dane should partner Malick Thiaw in the heart of the backline with Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabia either side of them.
That could be the only change we make as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rade Krunic and Tijjani Reijnders are set to continue in midfield, and with Vitiello also noting that Olivier Giroud is back in group training having picked up a knock while on duty with France last week, he is seemingly likely to be fit enough to start.
Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao will provide support in the final third out wide as they look to extend their positive start to the year, while both Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor will be among the substitutes on the bench ready to step in if needed to replace Giroud.
Milan have improved options after the summer rebuild, and it’s hoped that if they are indeed called upon to influence the game, they’ll be able to make an impact and ensure we secure all three points.
Consistency has been key for us thus far, with the favoured starting XI building a strong understanding and familiarity to spark our good start. However, with Newcastle Utd visiting San Siro on Tuesday evening and games coming quickly in the next fortnight, we’ll need that depth in the coming weeks to ensure we maintain our best level with fresh legs.
