The first game of the season is upon us as AC Milan will take on Torino at San Siro this evening. The pre-season was positive for the Rossoneri but all eyes are on the result tonight, so what are the key battles of the game?
As it’s Fonseca’s first game in charge of Milan, the first official game anyway, we should preface this by saying that there are still some uncertainties regarding the starting XI. Below, we have picked out five key battles between players we think should start regardless of these uncertainties.
The key battles
Fikayo Tomori will be an important player this season, provided that he steps up a notch, and today’s game will be a good litmus test for the Englishman. He’s not as strong as Malick Thiaw and Matteo Gabbia in the air, so Duvan Zapata will likely target him for the crosses.
Further up the pitch, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to start in the tandem and his movement will be decisive. Samuele Ricci will be on the same side of the pitch and in possession, he can be very good, meaning the former Chelsea midfielder must close him down effectively when needed.
In the No.10 role, Christian Pulisic will be looking to cause problems for Torino and while we don’t doubt his technique, he will be up against Karol Linetty who’s hard-working and physically astute. As such, the American will have to be smart with his movement.
Rafael Leao will be looking to add consistency to his game this season and tonight, he will be up against Raoul Bellanova but also Mergim Vojvoda. The latter will play as a centre-back in the back three, even though he’s not one, so that will be a very interesting battle.
Finally, regardless of who starts up front for Milan, it will be a challenge for Torino’s new signing Saul Coco. He played for Las Palmas before and is thus completely new to the league, which Luka Jovic could make the most of. And Alvaro Morata knows him from his time in La Liga.
Can’t wait for this game, Milan should be playing fast attacking football!