When it rains it pours, and the news arrived yesterday that Ismael Bennacer has sustained a muscle problem and could well miss the derby against Inter.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (via MilanNews) report that the Algerian will be re-evaluated with new checks in four or five days to understand the extent of his problem and find out his recovery times, but he will almost certainly be forced to miss Sunday’s derby.
However, this stoppage does not change Stefano Pioli’s plans as he still seems determined to change formation to try and make his team more solid and compact. He will cast aside his preferred 4-2-3-1 and will switch to 4-3-3 to try and provide greater protection in the non-possession phase.
With Bennacer absent, the only player sure of a starting shirt in the midfield three is Sandro Tonali, with three players – Rade Krunic, Tommaso Pobega and Aster Vranckx – fighting for the other two spots.
Today training will resume at Milanello and in the next few days we will know more about Pioli’s choices for Sunday’s match.
