AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has named Mike Maignan in his starting line-up for the first time in over five months after a long injury absence.
All week there has been increasing optimism that Maignan would return 161 days after his last game and he has gotten the nod to start between the posts, with Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori as the three-man defence in front of the Frenchman.
Junior Messias and Theo Hernandez will once again be the right and left wing-backs respectively, with the two-man midfield composed of Rade Krunic and Sandro Tonali given that Ismael Bennacer is still injured.
In attack, Brahim Diaz and Rafael Leao are on the right and left respectively, supporting the centre-forward Olivier Giroud who will lead the line again.
Official Milan XI (3-4-3): Maignan; Kalulu, Thiaw, Tomori; Messias, Tonali, Krunic, Hernandez; Diaz, Giroud, Leao.
Bench: Tatarusanu, Mirante, Ballo-Tourè, Adli, Ibrahimovic, Rebic, Bakayoko, Kjaer, Origi, Pobega, Vranckx, Gabbia, Saelemaekers, De Ketelaere.
Official Atalanta XI (3-4-3): Musso; Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini; Zappacosta, De Roon, Koopmeiners, Maehle; Lookman, Hojlund, Ederson.
Bench: Rossi, Sportiello; Okoli, Palomino, Ruggeri, Soppy; Chiwisa, Muhameti; Boga, Muriel, Vorlicky.
But Tonali plays for opponents… Why he is not on bench?????
How do you say “I am a clueless fool who knows nothing about the game” without saying so?
See above.
I swear diaz has less than 10 touches of the ball in the first half.
That is something unacceptable for a player in his position.
Every time, every freakin single time he received the ball, he lost it immediately.
Sending him back to madrid next season is going to be the best mercato by maldini.