Massimiliano Allegri has named his AC Milan side for tonight’s game against Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
After having drawn their last two fixtures against Genoa and Fiorentina – teams in the bottom few places in the table – there is added pressure for Milan to go to Como and be the first team to beat them in their own stadium this season.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
Cesc Fabregas’ side have made the Sinigaglia a fortress and it has helped them get into the mix challenging for a European place. Paradoxically, Milan are not only better against teams in the top half, but also better on their travels.
Como vs. AC Milan: Official starting XIs
With the only two absentees being Strahinja Pavlovic (due to having a stitched up head) and Santiago Gimenez (still recovering from surgery), Allegri has named a team that is vastly changed from the 1-1 in Florence.
It starts with a three-man defence of Fikayo Tomori (back from suspension), Matteo Gabbia and Koni De Winter (in for the injured Pavlovic) ahead of the goalkeeper Mike Maignan. It seems De Winter will be the left-sided defender of the three.
The midfield line will contain Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi as the wing-backs, with Youssouf Fofana, Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot as the midfield three. The trio in the centre of the park, therefore, has been completely changed.
Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leao will lead the line, with Christian Pulisic dropping to the bench as he is not 100% yet. Niclas Füllkrug has made a rapid recovery from a broken toe and makes the subs bench.
Official Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, De Winter; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Leao.
Bench: Terracciano, Torriani; Odogu, Dutu, Athekame, Estupinan; Ricci, Jashari, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Fullkrug, Castiello.
Official Como XI (4-2-3-1): Butez; Van Der Brempt, Ramon, Kempf, Moreno; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas.
Bench: Törnqvist, Vigorito; Carlos, Dossena, Posch, Smolčić, Valle; Caqueret, Le Borgne, S. Roberto; Cerri, Kühn, Rodríguez.
This gonna be a very tough much. Though I like allegri’s pragmatism, the team needs to start well. We tend to be too timid unless we are trailing and needs to equalize.
He’s dropped pulisic… Hmmmm ..nkunku must be in very good shape! I’m backing him to score .. como .0.2 Milan.. Leo scores the other… Forza Milan..
Pulisic played 90 minutes in the last two games that were 3 days a part. It was pretty obvious he had to be rested today, so he wouldnt risk another injury from being fatigued.
Alegri is coward he plays to defend
Cant remember how long its been since we had a bench were we could sub in 5 players like Ricci, Jashari, Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic and Fullkrug.
But no experienced defenders now…
Well this should be interesting.
We can beat the top teams but not the bottom teams, how will we fare v the mid table Como?
I have no doubt Como will play us off the park, so whether we can contain them and score on the break will be key
I think Como will win this
Me too.
It did not take long. I think the wheels are about to fall off of our season.
Next goal is huge. We need to stay in it
Bit worried about todays match but usually that means we wins 😀
We should have done better there.
Puli is the glue that brings the entire attack together. It doesn’t function as well. He makes other be more active and he functions as a go-to.. I knew we’d have issues at the start
Haven’t seen Como’s Heir recently. He must have gotten lost taking that short trip over to that place of profound connection for him, so profound he forgot who he used to support.
😀 Nah he is still frequenting the website from time to time.
That’s why I said recently 😅, he’s been missing this week…. probably busy buying a condo in Como,.so I understand 🤭
I still see him trying to bestow upon others how fans should behave (the irony)
Must be happy for the goal lol 😄
ok fair enough.
Well I can to some extent Understand his views of giving homegrown players chances and especially having an Italian core but at the same time it also often sounds like a broken record as all clubs jas fluctuations in incoming and outgoing players.
Watching tonights match I kinda wish I was a Como fan 😀
Ha and then a prenalty and a goal for us, still doesn’t vipe away the lacklustre performance we have seen.
I do understand his viewpoints too and as a matter of fact one of the very few who used to stand up for him when many used to bash him for his views…so it’s quite ironic when you think about it
But the part that absolutely aggravates me is this higher than thou attitude to other fans in the forum like they’re lesser of a fan when they provide a critique…. specifically after he declared last season he was rooting for us to lose games and supporting other teams. Nah I can’t have that and will remind him of the hypocrisy
Yeah I did as well but I get your point and its not like I completely disagree as it can come off rather condescending. Boulden bugs me more though but I tend to ignore him unless he sticks his nose too far ahead.
One attack in 25 min, how is that even possible.
Regardless of result.
For me it’s about the eye test.
Como are direct, fast, clever Milan just thump the ball in the air and fall over
That’s largely due to the coaching
Como have no more money or quality than Milan.
Fab is a fantastic coach. One of the best new coaches around imo. They have a system and structure with clear defined way of playing and attacking. As you said…. we’re the throw it up there and hope for the best Allegri ball (same thing he did when Ibra was here btw. No doffence)
Fabregas, De Zerbi, Maresca (despite getting fired from the poisoned chalice that is Chelsea), Farioli. Over the last couple of seasons there have been a number of young progressive coaches we could have hired, but they chose Allegri. Still, even if we lose this game, we’re in the mix for the CL, which is an improvement over 8th place. But Allegri’s football is atrocious. I hope he gets us back into the top 4, and then when his contract is up in 2027 we can move on to someone like Fabregas. High line, possession based AND STILL the second best defense in the league. Puts paid to the theory that you need to park the bus to have a good defense.
Oh I wont wait till 2027. Get him out by summer at latest
Well, Corto Muso is winning now. So I guess we might have to wait. 🙄
Meanwhile, Leao where he’s at his best: out wide in space. At least Allegri could change to 4-3-3…
I thought De Zerbi was made for us with his background
We’re having a phenomenal game seeing as we’re only down 1 goal
Like. I was saying
Insane lol 😂😂😂
How are we even in this much less being ahead ?????
A miracle that we are going into half 1-1. Allegri will think his tactics are working perfectly. Leao and Nkunku have created nothing .
Pulisic and Fulkrug should start the second half.
Com o 62% possession
Shots 9
On target 5
Milan 3 shots
on target 2
Como should be out of sight already. This has been embarrassing, completely out played.
I’d swap Fabregas for Allegri in a heartbeat.
We will build nothing with this dinosaur
The one big duff5 between come and Milan in the first half is PURPOSE, which my beloved Milan doesn’t have. I lost count of how many back passes we made. The midfielders are so far apart from each other that there is no synergy. Defenders even when we have possession are in their own half, no committing numbers to reinforce midfield. We are too slow in everything from the last 5 games or so.
As for fofana, the least said about him the better. He has no positional intelligence
The one big difference between Como and milanI meant. Typing error
Well said
On an individual basis, Modric is giving the ball away, I would sub for Ricci.
Alexis has been poor with his final ball recently, reminds me of scudetto Alexis.
Rabiot is the only player in midfield that is decent.
Leao looks like he cant run with or without the ball.
We need a striker
I’m done with this 2 upfront. Last year it was 4 upfront. Surely we can find a coach who plays 3 ffs!
Leao out on the wing taking on his man… a goal … who’d have thought it…
Fantastic goal not deserved though 😀
Nice goal.
Completely undeserved lead tbf
Mike has kept us in the game
Maignan is MOTM no matter what happens in the rest of this game.
Gotta say I like Fullkrugs will and spirit to play today with a broken toe. Back in the days football players was tougher players so good to see the German showcase some toughness,
LOL. I’m starting to appreciate Fofana from like a court jester perspective.
Fofana just need to stop shooting – even the announcers said he must have wrong size shoes on LOL!
I guess we don’t like Como passing the ball to us in their half as we just give it back or pass backwards or do a Fofana and fall over
Not even 70 mins gone and we have Leao and Nkunku out.
Allegri is a fool
They will score and we have no attack.
I hate this manager so so much
We have the chance to sit back and hit them on the break but we now have no attackers with pace. Stupidity and we will pay for it
What would you do in his place? The team is not playing well, not running, being completely outplayed and being very lazy – no other choice than to defend the score now.
Yes sure defend it but we need an out ball. That’s when you want 2 pacey players in attack. We also have Pulisic available
3:1 – good thing you aren’t the coach.
We could have lost that match badly had Mike not perform miracle after miracle
5-4-1, lol.
Mike and Rabiot have been immense today!
Maignan is invoking the living spirit of Schmeichel 😀
Brilliant Rabiot 🙂