AC Milan face a tricky challenge in their first Champions League group stage game of 2022-23 as they face a very young and intense Red Bull Salzburg side.
There are plenty of similarities about the way Salzburg and Milan operate as clubs (the scouting and recruitment of young players to build for the future) and also in the way they play. It is the shared intense and aggressive that could result in some crucial 1v1 battles opening up around the field.
Salzburg have won six of seven league games to start the season and have scored 18 goals in the process, which is in large part thanks to Fernando and Noah Okafor. They have four goals each while the former has also added three assists and they are expected to keep Benjamin Sesko out of the starting XI, which is exactly why Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori will have to be measured but confident in their approach.
Stefano Pioli highlighted in his pre-match words how quickly Salzburg try to get bodies forward through the middle, and Ismael Bennacer will have multiple responsibilities in his battle with Danish midfielder Maurits Kjærgaard. The Algerian must prevent the Austrian side from playing through the centre by showing his usual grit, while also controlling would could be a frantic tempo when in possession and keeping positional discipline.
Rafael Leao will be full of confidence after his brace in the derby (plus an assist) and will aim to announce himself on the biggest stage, which means it will be a tough challenge for the 20-year-old Bosnian right-back Amar Dedic who must keep the Portuguese winger in check and watch the under/overlaps of Theo Hernandez.
Finally, Charles De Ketelaere is tipped to make his Champions League debut for the Rossoneri and will be in a duel with 21-year-old defensive midfielder Nicolas Seiwald. The Belgian faces the double task of trying to help Milan’s transitions with his creativity and linking of the midfield, wings and forwards but must also disrupt Salzburg’s build-up by pressing and cutting Seiwald’s influence down.
