AC Milan will be back in Serie A action on week from today as Juventus will visit the San Siro, but Stefano Pioli will be forced into some changes.
As Corriere dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, the absences of Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez – who obtained a one-game suspension during the win over Genoa – forces Pioli to change what might have been his usual plans.
The last goal scored by Juventus against Milan was over two years ago when Alvaro Morata put them 1-0 up back in in September 2021, in a match that ended in a draw thanks to Ante Rebic’s second half header.
Since then, Milan have gone 356 minutes without letting one in against their big rivals, and Marco Sportiello will aim to keep that run going. Maignan’s deputy has already shown that he is a capable deputy, which helps.
Theo Hernandez will be missing too, and Milan have always struggled without the Frenchman. Since the start of last season Milan have lost three and drawn three without Theo, winning just the away match against Empoli.
It also forces the microscope onto the management’s decision not to sign a new deputy left-back, with Florenzi expected to play on his less familiar side.
Bartesaghi at LB, please. Florenzi at RB.