AC Milan are in Champions League action in front of their own fans tonight as they hope to extend their winning streak to five games against Girona.
Milan have surged up the table after they lost their first two games, beating Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Red Star and Slovan Bratislava to give them a real shot at a top eight finish.
However, they face a Girona side that caused issues for virtually everyone they faced during a brilliant 2023-24 LaLiga campaign, even if they have lost five of six in the Champions League thus far.
The official line-ups
There is a list of absences for Conceicao to deal with. Fikayo Tomori is suspended, Alessandro Florenzi, Samuel Chukwueze, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Malick Thiaw are out due to injury, while Alex Jimenez and Luka Jovic are not in the squad.
The Portuguese coach has appealed for the fans to get behind the team, which starts with Alvaro Morata leading the line, a man who has four goals against Girona in six meetings, including a hat-trick last season.
He will be flanked by Rafael Leao on the left wing and Yunus Musah on the right wing, while the midfield trio of Ismael Bennacer, Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana remains from the Juventus game.
The back four consists of Emerson Royal, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic and Theo Hernandez in front of Mike Maignan, with the Brazilian full-back potentially playing his last game based on the rumours circulating.
Official Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Theo; Bennacer, Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Morata, Leao.
Bench: Sportiello, Torriani, Calabria, Pulisic, Okafor, Zeroli, Bartesaghi, Terracciano, Camarda, Abraham.
Official Girona XI (4-3-3): Gazzaniga, Francés, David Lopez, Krejci, Blind; Oriol Romeu, Van de Beek, Herrera; Tsygankov, Abel Ruiz, Bryan Gil.
Bench: Pau Lopez, Arnau Martinez, Stuani, Asprilla, Danjuma, Juanpe, Solis, Martin, Portu, Selvi Clua, Artero.
Good luck to you guys pls make us happy with nothing but a win, Forza Milan ❤️🖤
Why is Emerson playing?
Also surely Okafor/Pulisic could play 45 min each on the right wing?
Oka oka is better not to play any more. If Crudeli is going to live couple of years more.
Musah isn’t there to be an offensive threat. Any offense is a bonus. He’s there to provide cover for Emerson.
I suspect that the plan is Musah for 60-70 minutes, and if it’s still close, Pulisic for the last 20-30, for offensive support.
Regards
I’m sure you’re right.
It’s interesting that this lineup is probably what we envisaged our first 11 to be after the summer mercato, only exception being Pulisic on RW
Why there is no Jimenez in this team?
Jimenez not on the CL list ?
Jimenez wasn’t included on the CL roster. He’ll likely be included for the round of 16
He is not eligible for the List B youth list. Hasn’t been at the club long enough.
I believe he will be eligible next season.
This season he could only have played by taking one of the 17 open slots.
Emerson is ‘one step away from leaving milan’
Two hrs later, let’s continue to start him over Calabria even though he’s not better
Calabria in the doghouse.
I can only imagine they want to do anything possible to boost his price. He’s already probably going for close to 10 or less, and we signed him for 15…
Glad Pulisic is on the bench but hopefully they won’t need him
It’s crazy to me that Conceição is not using 442 when this 433 and 4231 formation is not working. We can’t even score a goal in the 1st half using these formations.
It’s only when we switch to a 442 that the team looks more consistent and organized.
Just play Morata and Abraham as the 2 strikers and let Fofana and Reinjders play in the midfield.
Okafor can even play as a striker. Smh
Okafor’s confidence is shot, he’ll be more of a liability than provide anything useful
I agreed that Reijnders must playing as DM truth 442 is positioning and disciplined
I don’t get starting 2 players that you are supposedly hours away from selling. What if they get hurt? Also what is there incentive to help Milan win when they are getting shipped out anyways?
I know Calabria is bad but surely Terraciano or Barteshagi could play.
It literally just happened. Emerson injured 2 minutes into the match. There goes that sale if it was real.
Against Juventus it looked to me like Leao was playing as a striker with Abraham.
Musah barely came forward.
The formation was almost 442 with Leao as a striker and not LW .
Was meant to be a reply to @ZionTrain
I would prefere seeing Okafor instead of lazy Leao to be honest. Leao is just pathetic, slow, lazy and predictable…
🤡 get back to your 🎪
There goes the sale of Emerson🤣
I bet he’s faking it and it’s not that serious
I wanted to write before the game, with our luck he’ll probably get injured. But I didn’t want to jinx it. Well…
Thats the first thing I thought….
Not sure if I’m happy or sad. Inside 2 mins. Emerson makes a mistake. Sprints back and pulls a hamstring.
Finally we get a good look at Calabria’s form.
And Emerson just got injured…
…and Emerson just got injured.
I have a conspiracy theory about that.. lol
Oh ain’t that splendid and now Royal seems to be injured from the looks of it. F’in hell and with our bad luck his sale will probably now be off the table. sigh.
Musah omf
Calabria has looked good
Lmaooo. Y’all are too quick. Didn’t he just get bullied like a child and started acting like he’s injured? The bar is so low for yall honestly.
the guy was freaking fouled and then stepped over his foot but sure keep up your narrative.
Why don’t you go watch Pioli in the camel league with the rest of your brothers
Yeah, Calabria faking being injured to cover up for losing the ball right outside the box.
Now he gets a yellow for arguing with thref and has to play the rest of the match on a yellow.
Brilliant stuff from the captain. Hopefully the yellow will cause Conceicao to bring in Terraciano.
Barf
sad
Calabria has been decent so far
Buddy, do you EVER get tired of crying like a toddler? Nobody cares about your hate boner for italian players. Hush
Why don’t you go watch another game, if you’re going to disrespect a loyal servant of the club. Child. We don’t need glory hunters here. Do you think Emerson would’ve done better. Stfu, what kind of talent does your country produce?
LOL Morata. What a sissy
Good goal Leao!! Not just the goal but showing good intensity today. Keep it up!
Despite Bennacer playing well ,without that hassle and beautiful assist people will claim he was bad as they always claimed. Nice football boy.!
Oustanding work by Benny.
As I always say, form is temporary, class is permanent
Meanwhile Gimenez is at it with 2 against Bayern. Get him and dump Morata
They made first offer for him today, which was reportedly 15 millions. This is not even negotiating. It’s straight disrespect.
Indeed if that offer is true.
Sorry I made a mistake in translation from Italian site. That was in the summer of 2024.
All good
So far the team is playing well. Should have scored at least one more in the first half.
Benny has been splendid, the interception and assist aside.
Gab and Pav partnership seems to have a lil confusion between them sometimes. Thankfully Mike tidying up behind them on a couple of occasions
If they stay that low taking the pressure , we are conceding
Theo has to be one of the laziest players I’ve ever seen. Fofana worked that ball perfectly and he just casually messed up that perfect ball. Smh. And then he lets the left footed player get the ball on his left foot to score that goal. Smh
Also, bennacer holds the ball better than any player we have on this team. We would be crazy to sell him.
Can someone tell me what Conceição tactics is ? We literally play for counter attacks only.
Possession: Milan 44%. Girona 56%
Juve 68% Milan 32%.
What exactly is his tactics pls???
That offside goal is a warning.
Girona struggled with our high press before we score giving the ball away in dangerous positions. So please don’t let settle into the game with around 30 minutes still to play
Abraham please score so that we won’t see Morata again!
They’re getting too comfy with minimal lead. Hope it doesn’t backfire…
Get Theo off. He’s up to something ugly. He may cost us
That interception and celebration from Pavlovic!! We need him!
What an ugly 2nd half
Inside the Top 8. Forza Milan!!
That was a bad second half. Horrible from both sides . But it plays into Milan’s hands…so..