AC Milan will look to get back to winning ways on Saturday as we travel to face Lecce following a bitterly disappointing week.
After surrendering a two-goal lead in a late collapse against Roma last weekend, the Rossoneri suffered defeat in the Coppa Italia in midweek as we lost to 10-man Torino in extra-time.
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In turn, Stefano Pioli and the players will be feeling the pressure building this week as we fall short in our objectives, and so it’s imperative that we lift spirits with an important performance and result this weekend.
It won’t be easy with confidence low and with Lecce in fine form with three wins and two draws in their last five league outings, and so we have to step things up and deliver or we’ll risk seeing the 10-point gap to leaders Napoli remain following the conclusion of the weekend.
Tonali suspended, double fitness boost for Pioli
Milan will be forced into at least one change with Sandro Tonali missing out due to suspension, and so the expectation is that Aster Vranckx will be given an opportunity alongside Ismael Bennacer in the midfield pivot.
Given how influential he has become to the side, replacing what Tonali brings will be difficult, but it’s hoped that Milan can control possession and tempo still, gain a foothold in the game and build on that to get the three points.
It’s a big test for Vranckx, but it’s a chance that he must grab with both hands and prove his worth and quality to Pioli to earn more opportunities off the back of it.
That is likely to be the only change we see to the side that faced Roma in our last Serie A outing, but there will potentially be a double boost on the bench with both Simon Kjaer and Divock Origi resuming group training this week and pushing to be in contention again.
While the odds are perhaps low on Kjaer being involved, Origi could now have a key role to play to not only rotate with Olivier Giroud and take some of the burden off his shoulders to lead the line, but also to provide us with a different type of option in attack given his characteristics and strengths.
Time will tell if Pioli feels as though he can give Origi some minutes in the latter stages, or if we end up needing him on the pitch to chase the game, but it’s an important boost regardless.
Ciprian Tatarusanu is expected to continue between the posts, with Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez forming the backline ahead of him.
Bennacer and Vranckx will operate as the midfield pivot, while Alexis Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz and Rafael Leao will support Giroud in the final third.
It’s a balanced and familiar Milan XI for the most part, and it’s hoped that we can put together a strong 90-minute performance to get the job done and return home with three invaluable points.
