Tomorrow night, AC Milan host Girona at San Siro, and when the full-time whistle blows, the Rossoneri need to get three points. However, Sergio Conceicao’s squad is certainly limited, so the game could be a challenge.
Girona have been quite poor in the Champions League so far this season, so Conceicao will be hoping for a good performance from his side. However, this has been quite rare this season, especially against struggling opponents.
After the loss to Juventus, there needs to be a fire in the bellies of the Milan side, but there are some issues within the squad which has left the Portuguese with a difficult selection.
As Milan News write, in front of Mike Maignan, Emerson Royal and Strahinja Pavlovic are expected to start, despite both being at the centre of transfer offers. Alex Jimenez is not an option due to not being on the UEFA list, whereas Fikayo Tomori is suspended and Malick Thiaw is injured. On the left, Theo Hernandez is a given.
Ismael Bennacer is expected to be given the nod again in midfield, and he will partner Youssouf Fofana in the double pivot, despite it being a questionable pair against the Old Lady at the weekend. Ahead of them, Tijjani Reijnders will play as the Trequartista, as is becoming increasingly common.
Yunus Musah should start on the right-hand side, considering Christian Pulisic did not train earlier today and again, Jimenez is ineligible, whilst Rafael Leao will start on the opposite flank. Alvaro Morata should return up top, against an opponent which he has been on fire against in his last three meetings.
Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Theo; Fofana, Bennacer; Musah, Reijnders, Leao; Morata.
To see the key stats of the game as well as insight into the Rossoneri and Girona, our preview is available now.
If I was Calabria, I wouldn’t even want to stay at this point. The disrespect is WILD. Imagine watching Emerson be the worst player on the pitch week in week out, you start 2 games both of which you do more than he’s done all season, and somehow he still keeps playing over you. I’d leave too. This is like when Xabi Alonso left Liverpool because they wanted to play Garreth Barry more than him…
Again you have no idea what you are talking about. Calabria has started a lot more than 2 games this season.
He’s started 7 matches this season. Mostly facing the weakest possible competition. not a single clean sheet among them.
3 league matches against Cagliari, Torino and Parma. Didn’t win any of them. 5 goals conceded
3 Champions League matches against Slovan Bratislava, Red Star and Liverpool. 6 goals conceded in the 3 matches. He received a 4.5 rating against Liverpool, worst on the pitch.
The one good game you must be referring to is against a Serie B side in the Coppa Italia.
Emerson has not been good, and the fact that Calabria can’t even beat him out should tell you something. The fact that 2 different coaches choose Emerson over Calabria should tell you something. The fact that no other teams are showing any interest in him either should tell you something.
Come back to reality please.
“Emerson has not been good, and the fact that Calabria can’t even beat him out should tell you something. The fact that 2 different coaches choose Emerson over Calabria should tell you something. The fact that no other teams are showing any interest in him either should tell you something.
Come back to reality please.”
It’s frequent case that worse players start ahead of better players in many teams for whatever reason, also Calabria is leaving this end of the season so no team has any good reason to purchase him right now and the coach would probably not rely on him anyways since he’s leaving and sidelined by the management. Unfortunetaly since we’re stuck with Emerson, the coach has to rely on him. Fonseca personally requested him to help us get to the 8th position while somehow you don’t value Conceição as a coach but right now he’s relevant…
Statistically this season, on a per game basis, Calabria has been better than Emerson in pretty much every metric, that should tell you something.
Come back to reality please.
I remember Musah-Emerson contained Vini Jr. quite well against Madrid.
Then Calabria came on, and in the 5 minutes they gave him, he was burned by Vini 5 times. Almost leading to a Rudiger goal (thank god he was offside).
Moments like that aren’t talked about enough.
And wasn’t Davide who said in an interview that he can’t help conceding goals against the likes of Dzeko a few years back?
He said “Dzeko is clearly bigger than me”.
Yup, guess he can’t defend against players who are bigger than him. I guess.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Emerson has not been as bad as people say. Calabria has struggled and does not play well against fast and skillful players. Emerson is stronger going forward and recovers quickly. Fonseca preferred him and seems Concecaio does as well. Calabria seems to be on his way out perhaps.
“Contained vini”🤣 buddy, di you even watch the game? He literally conceded a penalty by stuoidly fouling him and got beatball night long. And I recall Calabria pocketing mbappe and Kvara on his own, without Musah holding his hand all game every game. Your point is?
It was never talk about that Musah went off with Emerson in that game.
In most games, Calabria was left 1v1 or 1v2.
I think both players are of similar standard. So money wasn’t well spent getting Emerson. Might as well keep a home grown player.
“Emerson is stronger going forward”
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
The clumsiest Brazilian ever? He’s played 20 matches and has found a team mate ONCE with his so-called crosses. I’ve NEVER seen such useles player in the attacking zone. Ever. And I’ve watched football since 1989.
“Statistically this season, on a per game basis, Calabria has been better than Emerson in pretty much every metric, that should tell you something.”
Again not factoring in at all the completely different level of competition the two are facing.
7 clean sheets when Emerson starts. Zero with Calabria starting. Better winning % when Emerson starts. Fewer goals allowed per game when Emerson starts.
We beat Real madrid, Inter twice, Juventus with Emerson starting. Who did we beat with Calabria starting?
It is not at all a frequent case that the worse player starts over better players, but it is about the only excuse than you can come up with to explain why both of our coaches have chosen Emerson. If he was sidelined by management he would not have started against Cagliari. He would’ve started Terraciano or Jiminez if that were the case.
Coaches try to win games. They put out the players who think give them the best chance to win.
I’m sure you know more than the coaches tho. I can’t wait to see what top club Calabria will sign with next season.
Of course the very nanosecond Emerson got mentioned you rushed to his rescue🤣 it’s just become entertaining at this point watching you desperately try and convince people he was worth the money. You gonna try and claim he should start over walker too? Go suck off cardinals alone in your room buddy. We don’t need to hear it
You keep talking about clean sheets and games as if somehow Calabria is solely responsible for every single goal he conceded and Emerson saved us every time. We beat Inter twice with Emerson responsible for 2 goals conceded out of 3 and when Calabria came in the second derby, he actually was involved in our action behind Abraham’s goal. In the Real Madrid’s game, it was Emerson who allowed them to level up the game.
I don’t have excuses for Calabria, the stats clearly demonstrate that he is better on a per game basis.
In number of players takled per game in serie A: Calabria 2.96, Emerson 2.96.
In number of takles won per game: Calabria 1.85, Emerson 1.83
In number of challenges won per game: Calabria 1.48, Emerson 1.05.
In number of interceptions per game: Calabria 1.85 (leads the team), Emerson 0.92.
Emerson leads in number of clearances per game (3.66 vs 2.22) and blocks.
Successfull takes on per game: Calabria 0.74, Emerson 0.46 and has a higher percentage as well with 66.7% vs 38.9%.
Carries per game: Calabria 44.4, Emerson 38.2
Total distance carried per game: Calabria 214.4, Emerson 158.4.
Progressives carries per game: Calabria 2.59, Emerson 1.5.
Pass completion per game: Calabria 55.2, Emerson 51.2
Crosses per game: Calabria 3.70, Emerson 2.94.
Now in the negative stats:
Challenges lost per game: Calabria 1.11, Emerson 1.18
Fouls commited per game: Calabria 1.11, Emerson 2.22.
Passes blocked per game: Calabria 1.48, Emerson 1.50.
You don’t have to believe me, you can find those stats by yourself.
Capello, one of the greatest coaches ever, questioned why Emerson was brought in the first place, as he didn’t level up the right flank but you might have missed that article.
I was never a fan of Calabria, heck no one in this website aside for Maldini’s Heir did held Calabria high in their view, so to think that I have to find myself in their position stating the obvious because some keep insisting that Emerson is somehow an improvment is really weird to me…
I really hope we land on Walker and Emerson leaves this winter, but I’m not so optimistic…
Kiddo, do you ever get tired of desperately crying about Emerson? I have to imagine it gets tiresome. Calabria has contributed more in his last 2 appearances than Emerson entire season. It’s cute how you were nowhere to be seen on the post about his useless ass almost injuring jovic with his god awful defending…almost like you knew you had nothing to protect him with. Go stroke your Emerson jersey and cry to yourself
Ian, take Calabria’s meat out of your mouth.
He has been sh*t since 2022.
You are saying “Statistically this season, on a per game basis, Calabria has been better than Emerson in pretty much every metric, that should tell you something” – Provide proof first.
Emerson is not good but Calabria didn’t beat him at all
There used to be Maldinis Heir who was defending Calabria by putting his life on the line and he disappeared and strangely you are appearing to defend your boyfriend… Hmmm… Interesting coincidence
It doesn’t matter who is better, both are mediocre. Walker will update that position instantly. And you already have a perfect back up for Theo and Walker…Jimenez.
The Ian guy is just horrible. Blinded with sentiments. Nobody said Emerson is wonderful, not even K. All that is being said is that he’s a better poison, especially considering stats.
Please stop typing if you won’t keep sentiments side for a second.
You are Perfectly right you have my support when you said two different coaches prefer emerson over him.
You must have not been following Milan for very long. The club has a long tradition of of letting their captains’ contracts run out and walk them out on a free. Emerson or no Emerson.
Calabria, Florenzi, Emerson… all pretty much done at Milan after this season.
Bennacer again!?!?
Nothing more than the first to be subbed off before the 50th minute after spending 50 minutes passing to the wrong team.
He has been terrible lol
Go ahead propose your lineup for the midfield.
4-4-2, since apparently this is what Conceicao likes: Mike; Calabria, Gabbia, Pavlo, Theo; Musah, Fofana, Reijnders, Leao; Abraham, Morata. No Bennacer from the start and now we can even use him off the bench, since we have no real midfielders left after him. It’s also a starting 11 that could still switch to 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 mid-game, as Morata could slide to the right, with Leao coming higher on the left.
For some reasons, Conceição doesn’t want to use a 4-4-2 right now, maybe he’s afraid to lose one of our only 2 strikers and we’re already ravaged by injuries (Pulisic and Okafor are unavailable while Morata might not start as he barely came back).
Unfortunately, in a 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-3-1 right now, given our lack of option, it’s either Bennacer or a Futuro kid.
Any lineup that doesn’t include Bennacer.
Milan played better before his return from injury this season, just like they did before he returned from injury last season.
Hopefully some team out there will come in and save Milan from Bennacer this January.
Milan barely played 2 good games in the entire 2024 half of this season… or actually 2 good games in the entire 2024 year…
If Pulisic or Chukwueze were available I would easily see Musah as the third midfielder, but right now, given our injury crisis and shallow midfield, it’s either Bennacer or a kid from Futuro.
Hopefully our management will awaken from their slumber and get us Frendrup or Ricci or both or anyone else before the end of this transfer window, otherwise we will be stuck with Loftus-Cheek and post-injury Bennacer until he gets injured again while we watch Fofana and Reijnders die from exhaustion on the pitch.
Man how much do we miss Adli right now
In favor of whom though? Who starts in his place? Terraciano? Injured RLC? We have NO midfield depth. And Musah is on the RT.
Ismail Bennacer on his day is class. He needs game time to get his feet back under him. Plus it’s Girona and not leverkusen or Liverpool ffs. Let’s hope he’s improved over the past few weeks. But he has been terrible I agree..lol
“Ismail Bennacer on his day is class. ”
Was class. Was. Hasn’t been for 2 years now. He’s finished. IF (big if) he ever finds his former self he’ll get another big injury to reset everything.
Please Acmilan must learn how to play attacking football pressing the opponent not allowing the opponent to dominate and even control the ball Acmilan must not loose possession to the opponent at all cost that was what cost us mistakes against Juventus. And again musah must prove himself as a winger by penetrating the box with a short release then rejnder must prove himself as an attacking midfielder by pushing the ball forward and moving the ball forward and also assisting leao and musah to scores. Our defence is Good we don’t need tomori at all at all.simple our 4-2-3-1 is lucrative
Our best chance to score is to use two strikers. Any formation the coach want to deploy must accommodate two strikers else ACMilan will struggle to score.
You are correct
Pretty favorable results for Milan in todays UCL games.
If they win vs Girona they’ll be in the top 8 with 1 game to play.
Agreed, anyone know if Puli is going to be on the bench?