AC Milan have a big game on the cards as they will face Salzburg in the final round of the Champions League group stage. The Rossoneri need a draw to advance to the knockout phase, but it won’t be an easy game.
Stefano Pioli and his men ran into trouble against Torino and their winning streak in the league thus came to an end. It wasn’t the best of warm-ups for the Salzburg game, but perhaps it will act as a wake-up call for them.
During his press conference earlier today, which you can read in full here, Pioli stated that Milan cannot aim for a draw in tomorrow’s clash. They will have to do a whole lot better than last time out, that’s for sure.
Team news
Aside from the previous injuries, Sergino Dest trained individually today at Milanello and he’s thus at risk for the game. On a positive note, Fikayo Tomori is back from the suspension and will play from the first minute.
Some interesting changes could be made to the starting XI for this clash, per Sky Italia, as Rade Krunic and Ante Rebic are tipped to start. The former will replace Brahim Diaz in the No.10 role, adding more defensive presence to Milan’s side.
Simon Kjaer is also expected to get the chance from start and that means Matteo Gabbia will be on the bench. The youngster had a tough game against Torino but the true cause behind the change is probably Kjaer’s great experience.
Ismael Bennacer also got rested against Torino, even if he came on for the final minutes, and he will replace Tommaso Pobega in the middle. Divock Origi worked hard but had a small impact last time out and Olivier Giroud will play from start, hoping to add another goal to his tally.
Probable Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Rebic, Krunic, Leao; Giroud.
The opponents
Salzburg need a win to leapfrog Milan in the group and they will most likely come at the Rossoneri with high pressing from the first minute. Undoubtedly, the draw against Dinamo Zagreb has put them far from an ideal position in the group.
Against Chelsea, in both games, they didn’t exactly control the possession but created a lot of chances when they had the ball. Milan will thus have to be careful and the Torino clash is a perfect example of how everything can change quickly.
As for team news, Salzburg will be without Nicolas Capaldo who is out with a knee injury, Fernando who has a thigh issue, and Samson Tijani who has a knock. Furthermore, Junior Adamu and Oumar Solet are at risk. If the former misses out, it would be a big blow.
Noa Okafor is a player Milan will have to watch out with, as we saw in the first leg, and the XI Matthias Jaissle will field is still expected to be a strong one. Of course, a lot depends on the condition of Adamu and Solet.
Probable Salzburg Xi (4-1-3-2): Köhn; Dedic, Solet, Pavlovic, Ulmer; Gourna-Douath; Kjaergaard, Sucic, Seiwald; Okafor, Adamu.
Head to head
Milan have faced Salzburg three times in their history, including the first leg, and thus there isn’t much to talk about in that sense. The first two games took place in 1994 during the group stage, with the Rossoneri winning both games 4-0 on aggregate.
The first leg ended 1-1 after Okafor gave Salzburg the lead after a nice solo run, while Alexis Saelemaekers scored the equaliser before the end of the first half. Milan hit the post in the final minutes but Salzburg also missed a huge chance earlier on.
Match facts…
➤ Milan are unbeaten in all three of their meetings with RB Salzburg in European competition (W2 D1), with all three of those games coming in the UEFA Champions League. They did draw in this season’s reverse fixture (1-1), however, after winning the first two.
➤ This will be RB Salzburg’s second away trip to face Milan in the UEFA Champions League. The previous one was a 0-3 defeat in September 1994, with Marco Simone netting a second half brace for the home side.
➤ Milan have only lost one of their 12 matches against Austrian sides in all European competitions (W8 D3), going unbeaten in each of their last eight such fixtures (W6 D2).
➤ On home soil, Milan have yet to lose against Austrian opposition in Europe (W4 D1), scoring 19 goals in five matches (3.8 per game).
➤ Last time out, Milan scored four goals in a UEFA Champions League match for the first time since beating Arsenal 4-0 at home in the last 16 in February 2012 — they haven’t scored 4+ goals in consecutive matches in the competition since March 2004, winning 4-1 versus Sparta Prague and 4-1 against Deportivo de La Coruna.
➤ In their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on MD5, FC Red Bull Salzburg registered a passing accuracy of exactly 50%, completing just 115 of their 230 passes. Since 2003-04, that’s the second-lowest accuracy in a UEFA Champions League match, ahead only of CFR Cluj’s 30.1 % against Galatasaray in October 2012.
➤ FC Red Bull Salzburg are aiming to reach the UEFA Champions League knockout stages for the second consecutive season (also 2021-22), having failed to progress past the group stage in any of their three previous campaigns in the competition.
➤ Milan have won two of their last four UEFA Champions League matches (L2) and are looking to register consecutive wins in the competition for the first time since October 2011. However, Milan have conceded in each of their last six home games in the UEFA Champions League — they last had a longer such run in November 2002 (15 games).
➤ All 15 of FC Red Bull Salzburg’s UEFA Champions League goals under Matthias Jaissle have been scored by players aged 23 or younger. Indeed, FC Red Bull Salzburg have had the youngest starting XI on average in the UEFA Champions League (22y 279d).
➤ Milan have scored eight goals in this season’s UEFA Champions League — they last scored more in a single group stage campaign in the competition in 2011-12 (11), while they last won three or more games in 2007-08 (4).
➤ Last time out, Milan’s Olivier Giroud scored his 20th goal in the UEFA Champions League. Aged 36 years and 25 days, Giroud became the oldest player in the UEFA Champions League history to reach 20 goals. The Frenchman is looking to score in consecutive appearances in the competition for the first time since December 2020 while playing for Chelsea.
Ones to watch
Rafael Leao will be out for revenge after missing two big chances in the game against Torino, getting subbed off at half-time as well. We all know just how good he can be and Milan will need him at his best tomorrow.
Speaking of revenge, Tomori is back in the lineup and will be eager to put in a good performance after a tough Champions League campaign thus far. He’s a very capable centre-back at his best but stopping the Salzburg attackers won’t be easy.
Another Salzburg man that really has done well in the Champions League this season is Strahinja Pavlovic. He has shown that he isn’t afraid of facing world-class strikers and he will be a handful for Olivier Giroud tomorrow.
Prediction
It’s a tough game, no doubt about it, but the feeling is that Milan will be able to snatch at least a draw from it. The Torino defeat was a real wake-up call and hopefully, it will be just the fuel they need tomorrow.
AC Milan 1-1 Salzburg
If pioli Is not aiming for a draw why will he play krunic rather than Diaz..? He is aiming for a draw which is very dangerous because he can concede a goal last minute.. play attacking football.. we are milan not just some team that aim for a draw to qualify