Milan will have to do without Luka Jovic for the match against Atalanta as the Sporting Judge’s decision officially came through earlier in the week.
Stefano Pioli’s decision to rest several key players in the league game against Monza was ultimately the wrong choice, at least that’s what the scoreline suggests, as a 4-2 defeat halted the good run of form.
The attacking trio of Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze and Luka Jovic were all below par at the U-Power Stadium as they all failed to make any real impact at all, at least in terms of positive contribution.
However, Jovic managed to make an impact in a negative way as he got a red card for lashing out at defender Armando Izzo early in the second half with what could best be described as a swipe.
It needed a VAR review to overturn the yellow to a red and now Jovic will serve a two-match ban, as confirmed by the Sporting Judge. It was feared that the Serbian would have to serve a three-game suspension because it was violent conduct.
The former Fiorentina man will therefore miss the next two league matches that Milan will play against Atalanta and Lazio, two important matches in the fight for Champions League qualification.
This will in turn force Stefano Pioli to make Olivier Giroud work overtime. If you watch the games in Africa, check out foreign betting sites in Ghana.
In addition to Jovic, there are several other players who are not expected to take part in Sunday evening’s match at San Siro against Atalanta…
Mattia Caldara: The defender injured his right ankle at the start of the season. Having undergone surgery, he is expected to return to the field in March.
Pierre Kalulu: The Frenchman suffered a complete rupture of the left rectus femoris tendon in the match against Napoli. On November 2, the club announced the positive outcome of the surgery, and he is back working with the squad but is unlikely to be ready.
Fikayo Tomori: Tomori suffered a muscle problem in his right thigh during the away draw against Salernitana, a myo-tendon lesion of the right biceps femoris to be precise. He, like Kalulu, has rejoined training but Sunday should come too soon.
Tommaso Pobega: He suffered damage involving the tendon component of the rectus femoris that inserts into the left hip. The injury led to the decision to have surgery to solve the problem, and he isn’t expected back for a while yet.
Davide Calabria: The Rossoneri captain suffered an injury in the first half of the match against Napoli. The tests highlighted an edema in the left adductor which forced the player to miss the matches against Rennes and Monza.
