AC Milan know that three points are an absolute necessity against Spezia this evening as they look to keep pace in the battle for the top four spots.
Milan have won only one game away from home in 2023 but paradoxically that was the 4-0 victory over league leaders Napoli, and they will have to put that record right today otherwise the risk of missing out on a Champions League place becomes huge.
The outcome of the game will be heavily influenced by some key battles across the pitch, starting with the one between Divock Origi and Ethan Ampadu. The Belgian is down to start on the left side but we see him playing off Ante Rebic as Rafael Leao does off Giroud, so he will have to target the 22-year-old Welshman with his size and his attacking runs.
Albin Ekdal is expected to start at the base of Spezia’s midfield three and he will have the job of trying to keep Brahim Diaz quiet. The Spanish playmaker scored the winner in the same fixture last year and will look to end a run of games without a goal, but his opponent – a 33-year-old Sweden international – is an experienced and wily player who is important in build-up.
There is no doubting who Spezia’s main threat is. M’Bala Nzola has 13 goals and 2 assists in Serie A this season and has been their only real consistent scorer, so both Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori will have to be careful with his movements as well as his physical presence pressing from the front.
There will be a great duel in the midfield between Mehdi Bourabia of Spezia and his opposite number Sandro Tonali. The Morocco international has been one of the more impressive performers under Semplici and has three goal contributions, while Tonali will have to lead the midfield with Bennacer and Krunic absent.
Finally, we wanted to highlight the perhaps less conventional battle between Kelvin Amian and Theo Hernandez. With no Leao on the left and Kalulu playing right-back, the Frenchman is likely to push up and awful lot to offer an additional attacking option with his runs and obvious goal threat. Amian, meanwhile, has been linked with Milan.
