It is four days until AC Milan are back in action in Serie A, as they will welcome Hellas Verona to San Siro in Sunday’s early kick-off.
Milan will be looking to bounce back after a couple of negative results. They drew 2-2 against Sassuolo in their last league game, before flying to Saudi Arabia to be knocked out of the Supercoppa Italiana at the semi-final stage by Napoli, who went on to win it.
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AC Milan vs. Verona: Predicted starting XIs
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Massimiliano Allegri will have a couple of players out due to injury: Matteo Gabbia, who is recovering from a hyper-extended knee, and Santiago Gimenez who underwent ankle surgery and will be out for many weeks.
The paper claims that the three-man defence will therefore remain as Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic ahead of Mike Maignan. Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi resume their roles as the starting wing-backs.
Youssouf Fofana comes back into the midfield on the right side of the three, joining Luka Modric – who was rested against Napoli – and Adrien Rabiot. Leading the line will be Christian Pulisic and the recovered Rafael Leao.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.
Bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, Athekame, Odogu, Estupinan, Ricci, Loftus-Cheek, Jashari, Nkunku.
Predicted Verona XI (3-5-2): Montipo; Nunez, Nelsson, Bella-Kotchap; Gagliardini, Niasse, Al-Musrati, Bernede, Valentini; Giovane, Orban.
Bench: Perilli, Toniolo, Oyegoke, Harroui, Slotsager, Ebosse, Fallou, Yellu, Kastanos, Sarr, Ajayi, Serdar, Mosquera.
other than De Winter this is our strongest line up. Must pick up 3 points
Would this management have kept Thiaw and Theo instead of De Winter and Estupiñán this team would be first now.
When Thiaw was at Milan fans talked about him the same way they talk about De Winter today, but now they wanna complain that he was sold. BTW Thiaw cost his team in the last games when he made an amateur mistake.
Theo had to go and he isn’t missed at all. Bartesaghi is doing great. Not to mention that the locker room is better without Theo.
The player that Milan could use the most is Reijnders. Reijnders in Fofana’s role would be great.
Theo was the biggest problem with this team last season. His lack of effort and toxic attitude poisoned this club. Him being gone is the biggest reason the team is doing better.
He was also one of the reason this team won the Scudetto. All our players had been underperforming last season. And in regards to Thiaw he was doing great preseason why do you think this management managed to sell him for 40 ? Maybe because Allegri saw his potential and maybe he could have gotten the best out of him as he did with Pavlović? Bartesaghi is getting his chances great and I really hope he stays and keeps developing! But Prime Theo used to be top 3 left backs and sure this formation would have only benefited him.
After each game, the strongest 11 becomes more and more clear. Always room for others to come in and claim a spot, but this is probably today’s best 11 (absent Gabbia)
10 of the first choice 11 on a full week’s rest… no excuses for this one, gotta make it count.
This is the A team. If we don’t win by 2, at least…
I don’t want Milan to win 3-2 or 2-1 now I want to see us dominate and keep the lead at least 2-0. Now there is no excuses we have a greats tracks en sure De Winter suck but he will defend Gift Orban and Giovane which isn’t Leao and pulisic if we put it that way.
RLC is better than Fofana I guess
The offense will need to score three goals, because with De Winter playing, we will concede two.