AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has chosen to make 10 changes to the starting line-up for the game against Bologna compared to the team which beat Napoli in midweek.
Reports in the build-up to the game suggested there would be a mass rotation in view of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg in Naples, and Pioli has indeed gone for that route.
In defence Alessandro Florenzi, Malick Thiaw, Pierre Kalulu and Fode Ballo-Toure will be the back four with Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori and Theo Hernandez getting a rest. Aster Vranckx and Tommaso Pobega come in for Tonali and Krunic in midfielder.
In attack Alexis Saelemaekers and Ante Rebic have been given the nod on the flanks in Brahim and Leao’s place, with Charles De Ketelaere in for Bennacer and Divock Origi playing instead of Giroud.
Official Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Florenzi, Kalulu, Thiaw, Ballo-Toure; Vranckx, Pobega; Saelemaekers, De Ketelaere, Rebic; Origi.
Bench: Mirante, Maignan, Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Theo Hernandez, Gabbia, Tonali, Bennacer, Bakayoko, Adli, Krunic, Messias, Diaz, Leao, Giroud.
Official Bologna XI (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Posch, Soumaoro, Lucimi, Kyriakopoulos; Schouten, Dominguez; Aebischer, Ferguson, Barrow; Sansone.
Bench: Bardi, Ravaglia, Sosa, Moro, Zirkzee, Bonifazi, Medel, Lykogiannis, Pyyhtia, De Silvestri, Amey.
Pioli out!
Eh, based on what?
This is a club decision I suspect, not just his. They have to choose a focus and they’re chasing the glory.
I strongly doubt the club has anything whatsoever to do with the team selection.
To answer your question: based on the countless dubious decisions he has made this season (mainly on team selection, but also tactics) which may cost us the top 4.
The simple fact that the champions are fighting for the top 4 instead of for the championship says a lot.
In my opinion winning the title last year had a bad impact on his humility and that is affecting his decisions. I don’t think all of them are wrong, just too many for this level.
What’s so bad about fighting for top 4? No one is catching Napoli in the history of Serie A with the exception of the record breaking Juve of the 2010s. So that leaves the rest of the teams which have about the same.form.as we have . 2 to 7 ain’t much that big of a gap points-wise. I really don’t know what u guys want of Pioli. We have the crappiest squad of the top 4. We might only have a better squad than Atalanta and maybe Lazio but even that’s a stretch
In my opinion winning the title last year had a bad impact on fans thinking we’re better than they think the squad is
I’d do the same tbh, you’ve got to attempt to trust the squad depth in these situations because we have important goals to aim for at this point which are:
1. Reaching further in the UCL for increased revenue
2. Qualification of UCL in Serie A
Jeez you “Pioli out” guys do know you sound like a bunch of demented parrots?
H ahh.
Hes won the league and got us deep in the CL knockouts.
Of course he needs to rest players ahead of the most important match in over a decade!
We have a great chance of making the final and anything can happen in a final.
We have plenty of league matches to secure top 4
Come on CDK. Make one goal FFS. One goal will worth 10M of your added market value 😀
Maignan is so getting injured now….! Sod’s Law demands it
God did not grant your wish
This is actually very interesting; could be an either crazy or brilliant idea.
The players won’t have to or try to adjust their playing style to the 1st line-up, so hopefully they can bring out their own best. This can be a totally different Milan.
To the opponents, they have no slightest idea how this Milan will play.
On the other hand, it can turn out to be a big mess.
What a gamble by Pioli.
It’s ok, it’s just the CL qualification he’s gambling. No big deal.
Pros cons…. opportunity cost. This is a smaller risk given the number of games remaining vs the greater opportunity of progressing in the UCL and possibly a final
It seems milan will lose this game.. probably out for UCL spot for while…
For a while?! There are 9 games left.
Why are you so confident that we will not be able to qualify for the UCL next season?
Quite the lineup… sounds legendary. Must be a win incoming? Cdk hat trick and pobega screamer 4-0 milan?….
You got the screamer right so far.
Pioli really should be prioritizing the league. We are really close to not play Champions next season. And Milan is not a title contender in the Champions League. He’s dreaming and not being logical.
Like when we dreamt last year of the title and got it? It’s free to dream. We actually have a chance to make a UCL final. I’d say go for it. The exposure we will get would be incredible
But we’re only one point ahead of the 5th placed team and Juventus might have their 15 point penalty appeal hearing on Wednesday. This club needs to focus on consistently qualifying for the CL. One step at a time. We win the league and suddenly we think we’re CL contenders? I mean, it would be wonderful if we won it, but the downside is so much worse here. Not qualifying for the CL next season would be such a backwards step. This is too risky of a strategy at this point in the club’s progression. If we don’t win the CL and fail to finish top 4 it won’t just be #PioliOut that you’ll be seeing from people…
Its now or never from everyone in this lineup, except saladmaker, kalulu and thiaw. We need top finish but at the same time there is a lot of money to be made in champions leauge if the go through to the semi finals. If this lineup cannot even beat bologna, they have no bussines playing in top leagues.
My prediction: Bologna 3 – 0 Milan. I hope I’m totally wrong.😟😔😞
Personally i dont minding us taking this chance considering the importance of the cl tie on tuesday and several of these players needs to prove themselves so they should all have the motivation and certainly on paper still are a better team than what bologna can muster. What i do worry a bit about is if that the players put their own game ahead of the teams needs and plays egotistically in their quest to prove themselves so its a bit of a two edged sword as i see it,
I still expect us to win today and hopefully players like cdk,rebic, origi can finally give us some further strings to play upon when getting a bit more fit and shown some extra trust
Even though I have some reservations regarding the lineup, I think it’s absolutely necessary for us to take the risk. Worst case scenario, we’re beaten today and then knocked out of the CL, we’d still have eight games to play, with two or possibly three of those against teams vying for top four. So mathematically, we still wouldn’t be out of the race for a CL spot.
30 seconds. It’s all it took. Enjoy.
At least we have and entire match to change the outcome but obviously it might become worse, hopefully not though
We have been cheated twice now, ballo toure is dragged down before the ball was send in right before they scored and there should have been a var call on rebic getting stepped on his foot in bolognas penalty area
UCL spot in jeopardy rn. CDK pls make one goal. jUST ONCE this time.
Why the heck is Adli not starting??!!! The one time Pioli rotates Adli still doesn’t start???!! Wtf
And he picks pobega??!!!!
seriously some of you are just complaining for the sake of complaining, pobega actualy scored a fantastic goal and you still complain. Pobega is also a player that is in the cl squad and could use some minutes to stay fit whereas adli isnt. Then theres tatctics as well, pobega offers a fair share of strength as well.
Rebic lol I like him
RL17 become striker 🙂
I don’t think Pioli realises that Milan might be knocked out of the Champions League and not still make the top 4. The game was there to be won today but we were not just hungry enough and that’s on Pioli.
F CDK! Did he even play?! origi also useless smh! Id rather see adli and our primavera striker than seeing CDK and origi play..btw wasnt that supposed to be a penalty for us for the handball?!
We were cheated of two penality kicks and blaming pioli for this one is ridiculous as we had enough chances to win with some margin but the players didnt deliver on that ground but overall we played better than bologna and their goal shouldnt even count as there was a free kick on ballo tioure right before the goal as he was dragged backwards by having his arm pulled.
Disapointing result but nevertheless not the end of the world .
Lets just hope monza beat inter . I support this rotation. With this the bench player have time to prove themselves. Player like Origi , Rebic , saladmaker must be sold next season to fund prolific striker like Rasmus or jonathan david. Maybe kjaer can persuade rasmuss to join AC Milan
Even though it currently might seem lesser likely to get the 3rd spot that is the one we should go after because if for example inter wins the cl and finishes 5th in serie a and we end up on the 4rth place then im pretty sure the fourth placed team will be sacrifised in that equation. When that is said i agree it did make sense to make these subs play to make sure we had some fit players for tuesday. I quite like saelemaekers and always did and generally think he is good for the team he just isnt necesarily more than a bench player for us.
As a dane i certainly wouldnt mind us signing rasmus højlund but i see him getting sold to the highest bidder and by now it may exceed the 50mil mark but it would be nice seeing him in ac milan nevertheless.
Saladmaker not pure RW but he is RWB . AC Milan can get capital gain by selling him ,Origi ( if lucky can sell) ,Rebic, Ballo Toure. Rasmuss have similar play style with haaland , i believe AC Milan can get him 40m euro + one academy player . Remember we insert pessina+ money to buy kessie. Again lets just hope monza and benfica defeat inter so AC Milan safe on top 4 and not derby again in CL
Id keep saelemaekers as he is also pretty versatile and a techical gifted player who always works his socks off. If he can improve of some aspects of his playing like the end product he would be a force to reckon with, Origi should be sold if possible as he is simply too ineficent to pay four mil a year. I always liked rebic but the last two years he hasnt been up to his own standards so i would also sell him if the option arrive.
We only recieved 3 mil for pessina in that deal so i wouldnt suggest a thing like that with our primavera players who might have a possibilty lto get into the first team later on with us.
Monza might chock them tonight at least i hope so as well but i have a hard time seeing benfica turn things around but maybe a quick goal could make inter play a bit insecure. Anyways i wouldnt mind meeting inter in the semis either as i had napoli inter and benfica as my favoured teams to meet in the cl quarter finals but dervies can be tricky.