AC Milan face a difficult test away at Roma on Friday night, as Stefano Pioli and the players look to make it three consecutive wins to start the Serie A season.
The Rossoneri have impressed thus far in victories over Bologna and Torino, but this will no doubt be a sterner challenge despite Roma’s under-par start to the campaign.
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Given the talent at Jose Mourinho’s disposal and his own coaching qualities, both Pioli and the squad will need to be at their best to ensure we return home from the Stadio Olimpico with all three points.
While transfer speculation continues to suggest there will be more movement before the deadline, one consistent aspect for Milan currently is our starting XI, as no changes are expected.
Consistent XI allows Milan to build strong foundation
For the third consecutive game, Pioli could name an unchanged side as we have no concerns heading into the encounter on the fitness front.
That in turn will see Mike Maignan resume duty between the posts, with a back-four consisting of Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez ahead of him.
With Paulo Dybala expected to return from an injury setback and Romelu Lukaku looking to make his debut following his loan move from Chelsea this week, the Milan backline will need to be switched on and adaptable throughout to nullify the threat of the hosts.
In turn, having the likes of Pierre Kalulu and Simon Kjaer on the bench could be crucial, allowing us to change our defensive approach to deal with the different dynamic that they could create if they are indeed involved.
The midfield will be key as always though, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rade Krunic and Tijjani Reijnders hopefully providing us with an ideal balance to dictate tempo and possession in the game.
If we can get an early foothold and control proceedings, it will be a vital part of securing a positive result and continuing our own progression and development in terms of our balance and rhythm over 90 minutes.
Our impressive attacking trident will lead the way in the final third, with Christian Pulisic looking to extend his excellent start to life at the club having scored two in two, while Rafael Leao will offer his usual threat and support on the opposite flank for Olivier Giroud to lead the line through the middle.
Despite further exits, Pioli still has strong options on the bench to change the game in attack if needed, with Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze, Luka Romero and Yunus Musah available to come on as they look to make their mark in key moments.
Milan look in good shape going into this game, but it’s important to sign off on a positive note ahead of the international break, and another strong performance to go with a win would be perfect as we try to lay down an early marker in Serie A.
