AC Milan host Verona in our final game of the 2022/23 Serie A campaign, with Champions League football already secured for next season.
Our 1-0 win over Juventus last week sealed a top-four finish in the standings, and so while that takes the pressure off this weekend, Stefano Pioli and the players will undoubtedly hope to put on a show and finish the year off in style.
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Milan delivered huge news in midweek with Rafael Leao putting pen to paper on a contract extension until 2028, and while all eyes will soon be on the summer transfer window, it’s hoped that we can produce a convincing performance on Sunday to end what has been an indifferent season on a positive note.
The expectation is that the Rossoneri will go with the same XI that won in Turin last time out, but there are two potential changes that have been touted.
Krunic a doubt? De Ketelaere over Diaz?
Milan are expected to stick with the same back four and Mike Maignan in between the posts, which means Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez should start.
In midfield, Sandro Tonali and Rade Krunic are likely to get the nod, but as per MilanNews, there is a doubt over the latter’s fitness and so Tommaso Pobega will be ready to step in if necessary.
Junior Messias, Brahim Diaz and Leao should start to support Olivier Giroud up front, but again, as per the report above, there is a suggestion that Charles De Ketelaere could displace Diaz in that central playmaker role.
Time will tell though if Pioli is keen to give the Belgian a chance to end the season positively after what has been a difficult debut campaign for him with us, or if Diaz will keep his place in what could be his final appearance for us with his future with Real Madrid to be sorted out in the coming weeks.
Given our performance and result last weekend, it’s likely that Pioli will reward that starting XI with a chance to end the season with a win at home, while long-term absentees Ismael Bennacer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic won’t feature due to injury.
It’s been a really positive week for Milan on and off the pitch, but there is real anticipation now over getting this summer underway and strengthening the squad to ensure that we’re able to compete for major honours again. For now though, wrapping up this campaign with a comprehensive win would be a good way to keep the momentum of this week going.
