It’s no secret that Paulo Fonseca has taken a liking to Alexis Saelemaekers in the last few weeks and according to a report, the Belgian could start in Milan-Torino tonight. Samuel Chukwueze, as such, could be on the bench.
Chukwueze and Saelemaekers both did very well during the pre-season and the decision isn’t obvious. On the other hand, one could argue that the Nigerian has been the most prolific out of the two, also with a point to prove after last season.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (see photo below), the Belgian is currently ahead 55-45 while Malick Thiaw has overtaken Matteo Gabbia 60-40 for the last centre-back spot. Up front, Luka Jovic is also ahead of Alvaro Morata 55-45.
Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Bennacer, Loftus-Cheek; Saelemaekers, Pulisic, Leao, Jovic.
Predicted Torino XI (3-5-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Coco, Masina; Bellanova, Ricci, Linetty, Ilic, Lazaro; Sanabria, Zapata.
It remains to be seen if there will be some surprising changes in the end, but the most important thing is clinching all three points. Milan have a very positive record at home against Torino, but there will surely be some nerves as it’s not just the season opener but also Fonseca’s first game.
