With just a couple of days until the Milan derby, the newspapers are beginning to try and predict the team that Stefano Pioli will field.
According to this morning’s edition of the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri should line up with Mike Maignan in goal, then a back four formed of Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Alessio Romagnoli and Theo Hernandez from right to left. There is still a chance Fikayo Tomori recovers to take Kalulu’s place, but it is currently more unlikely than likely.
In the midfield it is a double pivot of Ismael Bennacer and Sandro Tonali which is currently favoured, and this has implications further up the field because Franck Kessie is tipped to play in place of Brahim Diaz as the playmaker just as he did in the win over Empoli.
Alexis Saelemaekers is expected to be on the right wing and Rafael Leao on the left wing behind the centre-forward Olivier Giroud, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic faced a race against time to get rid of his tendon problem.
Probable Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Romagnoli, Theo; Tonali, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Kessie, Leao; Giroud.
