AC Milan host Salernitana in our final Serie A game of the 2023/24 season, in what will also be Stefano Pioli’s final outing as coach of the Rossoneri.
The club confirmed on Friday that the Italian tactician will be leaving his post at the end of the season, bringing his five-year tenure to a close, a stint which has seen us all experience highs and lows.
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It’s hoped that we can produce the perfect send off for him and finish the season off in style, and the Milan boss is expected to make a whole host of changes to his starting XI for this encounter.
As previously announced by the club, this will also be the last game for Simon Kjaer and Olivier Giroud, as the stalwarts will both move on this summer as their contracts are set to expire.
The experienced veterans are being tipped to be two of seven changes in total from Pioli, with La Gazzetta dello Sport suggesting that we’ll see tweaks right across the pitch.
Milan team news vs Salernitana
Neither Mike Maignan nor Samuel Chukwueze will be available this weekend, as the pair both suffered injury setbacks this month that will force them to watch on from the sidelines.
That duo aside though, Milan have no other injury or suspension concerns heading into the season finale on Saturday night.
Kjaer, Giroud farewell starts as Pioli signs off on Milan stint
Marco Sportiello will start between the posts as he continues to deputise for Maignan, while Davide Calabria, Matteo Gabbia and Theo Hernandez could all come back into the starting line-up to partner Kjaer.
That’s an entirely different backline to that which faced Torino last time out, and although there’s nothing on the line for Milan this weekend given we’ve already secured second place in the standings, it remains to be seen if those wholesale changes have a negative impact on our defensive performance.
In midfield, Tijjani Reijnders and Ismael Bennacer could keep their respective places in the Milan XI, but Yacine Adli is being tipped to come in for Yunus Musah as we look to control and dictate at San Siro with the expectation that we will have plenty more possession.
Giroud will of course return to lead the line as he gets his farewell outing in front of the Milan faithful, while Rafael Leao is set to come back in on the left flank with Christian Pulisic operating on the opposite side in our attacking trident.
While it would be a boost to sign off on this season with a victory, it would also be an ideal way to bid farewell to those leaving, close this chapter and prepare for a new cycle to begin this summer.
With Salernitana’s woeful season in the Italian top flight already long over as they prepare for the drop back down to Serie B, Milan have the perfect opportunity to put on a show and end with a win as Pioli, Kjaer and Giroud all say goodbye.
