AC Milan take on Lazio at San Siro tonight hoping to put a bad couple of weeks behind them to ease some of the pressure that surrounds the club.
The season is threatening to spiral out of control for Milan, given recent results. The 2-1 defeat against Torino was followed by a loss to Bologna on Thursday night, and that means the Rossoneri are now eight points away from the Champions League places.
Lazio are right in the hunt for a top four spot and that means tonight’s game still harbours a lot of significance, and it could just reignite hopes of a late push from Sergio Conceicao’s side.
Official starting XIs
In terms of absences, Milan will be without Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Emerson Royal and Alessandro Florenzi due to injury. Kyle Walker is back though, after overcoming a slight muscle issue.
Conceicao has named a back four of Alex Jimenez, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic and Theo Hernandez ahead of the goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Youssouf Fofana and Yunus Musah are expected to be the double pivot, with Christian Pulisic, Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao the forwards behind Santiago Gimenez.
Official Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Jimenez, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Musah, Fofana; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Gimenez.
Bench: Sportiello, Torriani, Jovic, Chukwueze, Tomori, Thiaw, Walker, Bartesaghi, Bondo, Terracciano, Camarda, Joao Felix, Abraham, Sottil.
Official Lazio XI (4-2-3-1): Provedel; Marusic, Gigot, Gila, Nuno Tavares; Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni; Tchaouna.
Bench: Mandas, Furlanetto, Patric, Vecino, Pedro, Noslin, Belahyane, Nielsen, Ibrahimovic, Lazzari.
I’m not a Jimenez fan. Very selfish.
The thing that blows my mind the most is having Musah in this starting lineup every single game. The guy just runs and offers no creativity as a so called MF. But I guess just the same way Pioli loved clueless Krunic, Conceicao has found his Krunic in Musah and that’s how I know he’s not a serious coach. Smh
This is tiresome.
Musah is 21 and spent this season and last playing multiple positions _PER GAME_.
His presence in the pivot observably makes us better than Reinjders in the same position. Reinjders moving forward further improves the way we perform.
If you track his progress during this year of chaos he is notably improved getting into positions to create opportunities. Lately his end product is coming up (DaSaint missed on a great cross in the last game).
How about we instead focus on the play of Fofana? Dude was pretty strong and now he is bang average at his best. Is he the problem?
No, the amount he has played is the problem. Why does he play so often? Because we are short an injured RLC and bought and injured Bondo. That is a MGMT issue, not a Musah issue.
You can sub Reinjders for Fof and the same argument is valid.
Focus on the problem. Not some agenda against a kid who grew up in Italy and is doing the job he was bought to do – become a cornerstone of the club in 2-3 years.
Did Conceição really give Pulisic the armband? Against Lazio no less. The DT is trying to turn the pressure up on our boy out here.
Bondo should get some minutes and come in for Musah.
Photo on AC Milan lineup page shows the armband with Maignan’s jersey
https://www.acmilan.com/en/match-center/2024-25-serie-a-ac-milan-lazio-g2456369/lineups
Photo 4.
Having an Italian in the side is good start. The young Spaniard should not be playing at right back – I do not want to watch if he gets torn up for arse paper, again.
Jiminez provides energy off the bench, but doesn’t mark well and he hasn’t worked well with Pulisic.
I am hoping to see more than a line up that makes sense.
I want to see us start the game like we want to win. I want to see a pattern of play that emphasizes out wingers and the need to serve our 9 (Gimenez).
It’s not enough to put good players on the field. It has to be done with intent and skill.
Poor Gabbia, and his usual script….. Doesn’t get playing time for a long time, then boom he’s thrown into a crucial match with a tough opponent.
Hope Puli will be playing on the right, Musah central and Reijnders at AM
Horrendous kit again.
Damn americans.
What are these ugly rasta colored uniforms???
They should burn this kit – it is truly awful
Btw didn’t take sarge long to get his boyfriend on
Having Musah and Fofana as the double pivot could be a game changer for us.
Hope we get to see Bondo introduced too.
Good luck guys.
Prob the least bad line up Sergio chose until now.
Cool
Wow we’re back to spending 80 mins out of 90 mins passing back to our CBs and GK and then a long ball hoping for a Leao miracle. SMH.
#PioliOut
This I can 100% get on board with
Curva are back but their chants are nasty.
What are they chanting exactly? (Can’t understand)
Someone needs to teach musah how to pass. How are you a midfielder and can’t give a precise pass?
Same can be said for any of them – Fofana looks a big waste of money
Joao Felix sits for a whole 36 minutes…. Lmao what is going on.
Without Sergio Conceicao’s girlfriend, Joana Felix, it would have been a sad evening. I am glad that their hot love continues unbroken even in this cold night 😆😆
Total chaos.
This team has lost the plot.
I have rarely seen a more mediocre midfielder than Fofana. I remember how enthusiastic some of us were last summer when he was brought 😆😆😆
At this point I think Milan problem is a management one, not the coach.
The scudetto win should have been the point where we rose from the mud and back amongst the top. We’ve sadly retrogressed since then
Conceicao is clueless
You guys should just stop all this crap ! This player is this ,this player is trash blah blah.But these same players played well where they are coming from! I don’t know why you guys fail to realise that something is fundamentally wrong. Milan players are good except few ones. I hate it when the uninitiated come here and write nonsense.
We have an initiate here😆
new game. same mistakes.
Sigh.
Another Wasted corner with these short corners
This rubbish of playing short passes when it’s a corner has to stop. Why have players in the box and you can’t cross?
I’m so curious what are “the 5 things we learn” after this game 😆😆😆
1. Felix being invisible is not a super power
2. There are no TVs to break at the San Siro
3-5 are for others
Conceicao with the “I dare you to fire me” tactics and formation
Ref didn’t even look at the replay for the penalty 😂😂😂. Wow he didn’t have to cheat so blatantly. Also why didn’t VAR intervene on the red – not clear and obvious error maybe? Smh
We always on the end of some …let’s say dubious…calls
Yeah. Just watched the screen for a split second and made a decision. No different angles
Leao is just a pedestrian in this second half
Red card… Mission impossible
Tomori would have been a better fit with his pace with a man down
Classic Milan
I suppose the upside is we finally made it back to Gabbia and Thiaw.
Tassotti anyone…..?
I think at this point, it doesn’t make a difference whether we stick with Conceição until the end of the season or bring in Tarsotti. honestly, I’d almost prefer if we didn’t play internationally next season and focused entirely on Serie A.
I mean we’re only focused on serie A rn and still lost to Torino, bologna and Lazio. When will yall stop with the excuses ? Milan fans are the only fans that pay their players a lot of money and expect them to only perform in one competition. Mediocre!
That’s loser talk. We say that because we’re defeated as fans. I’m done with this crap. Our next coach needs to be Italian. Never mind all these no names
Chukwueze my favorite boy. Conceicao doesn’t know who you are and keeps playing his favorite headless chicken Musah over you. SMH
A goal back wow. Nice header from Chuk
Milan playing better with 10 men. Leao waking up
Jovic playing with a lot of heart
How is that a penalty?
Why not show other angles?
VAR!
Robbed