Stefano Pioli is expected to send Tijjani Reijnders out from minute one against Slavia Praha tonight, and his former club AZ Alkmaar will be rooting him on.
According to what is being reported by Calciomercato.com, Reijnders will start against Slavia tonight alongside Yacine Adli as Pioli decided on the eve of the game to field a virtually unprecedented double pivot, one that will have to provide creativity and quality against a team that will certainly have a cautious attitude.
Until the defeat in Monza, Reijnders was the outfield player most used by Pioli this season. The Dutchman – after a a very positive start to the season – had a slowdown which coincided with Bennacer’s return to full strength and Adli’s tactical maturation as a playmaker.
This is why Pioli feels it is the right time to give him another start, both to see how he reacts from a performance standpoint but also because he seems like a better fit for a game against a side that might well sit deep and play to keep goals out.
Reijnders wants to return to scoring, and his old club AZ Alkmaar are rooting for him because in the event of Milan winning the Europa League they would receive further bonuses after the €20m they received as a fixed amount in the summer.