AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli will use today’s training session to make a final decision on the team that will face Roma tomorrow night, but he already has some ideas.
The absences are as follows: Fikayo Tomori is suspended, Pierre Kalulu is injured and Jan-Carlo Simic does not qualify for the UEFA squad list. Clinton Nsiala and Davide Bartesaghi will not be called up, and Alex Jimenez is out until the end of the season.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) this morning, Mike Maignan should be in goal with Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Matteo Gabbia and Theo Hernandez as the back four in front of him.
Ismael Bennacer and Tijjani Reijnders should be partnered in the control room of the midfield once again, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning to the attacking midfielder role having served a suspension on Saturday.
He should be flanked by Christian Pulisic to the right and Rafael Leao to the left with Olivier Giroud the centre-forward. The likes of Noah Okafor, Luka Jovic, Samuel Chukwueze, Yacine Adli and others can lend a hand off the bench.
What about Roma? The paper predicts a 4-3-3 for De Rossi’s men with Svilar in goal; Celik, Mancini, Smalling and Spinazzola the back four; Cristante, Paredes and Pellegrini in the midfield and a front three of Dybala-Lukaku-El Shaarawy.
Probable Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Gabbia, Theo; Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud.
Probable Roma XI (4-3-3): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Smalling, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy.
