As the hours tick down towards the Europa League quarter-final first leg between AC Milan and Roma, news continues to filter about how both teams should line up.
MilanNews start by comparing the absences. Milan will be without the trio of Fikayo Tomori, Tommaso Pobega and Pierre Kalulu – the former due to suspension, the other two due to injury. Meanwhile, Daniele De Rossi will have to do without Sardar Azmoun (injured) and Evan Ndicka (suspended).
It seems certain that De Rossi will continue with the 4-3-3 that has brought him plenty of success since he was appointed as the caretaker replacement to Jose Mourinho, and the team starts with Svilar between the posts plus a back four or Celik, Mancini, Llorente and Spinazzola.
The trident of midfielders also seems easy to predict: Paredes as the deeper-lying player, then Cristante and Pellegrini as mezzali supporting the front three formed by Dybala, Lukaku and the ex-Milan man El Shaarawy.
Predicted Roma XI (4-3-3): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Llorente, Spinazolla; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy.
Bench: Rui Patricio, Boer, Karsdorp, Llorente, Angelino, Bove, Aouar, Renato Sanches, Baldanzi, Zalewski, Abraham.
Doubts: Celik/Karsdorp, Llorente/Smalling/Mancini, Spinazzola/Angelino.
Disqualified: Ndicka.
Unavailable: Azmoun (left thigh flexor injury), Huijsen (not included in the UEFA list), Kristensen (not included in the UEFA list).
