Sergio Conceicao has named his starting line-up for the final game in the first phase of the Champions League as AC Milan take on Dinamo Zagreb.
As a reminder of the equation going into tonight, Milan know they will finish at least sixth in the table by beating Dinamo at the Stadion Maksimir, securing direct last 16 qualification. A draw leaves things a bit more up in the air, but is likely to still be enough.
The official starting XIs
The right-back role was the big issue for Conceicao coming into this. Davide Calabria will serve a one-game suspension, while Emerson Royal is out for at least two months. Kyle Walker hasn’t been registered yet and Alex Jimenez isn’t in the Champions League squad.
Thus, he has opted to name Fikayo Tomori on the right side of the defence, with Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic remaining as the centre-back pairing. Theo Hernandez completes the back four ahead of Mike Maignan.
A midfield trio of Yunus Musah, Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders is what the coach has gone for, while Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao – the two main threats tonight for the Rossoneri – flank Alvaro Morata.
Official Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Musah, Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Leao.
Bench: Sportiello, Torriani, Bartesaghi, Terracciano, Bennacer, Okafor, Chukwueze, Abraham, Camarda.
Official Dinamo Zagreb XI (3-5-2): Nevistic; Torrente, Theophile-Catherine, Mmaee; Pierre-Gabriel, Baturina, Ademi, Misic, Pjaca; Stojkovic, Kulenovic.
Bench: Zagorac, Filipovic, Hoxha, Cordoba, Mbuku, Ristovski, Rog, Mikic, Cutuk, Pavic, Spikic, Jakirovic.
The bench is very light.
Only 2 full backs and 1 midfielder to call upon. Plus depth in attack.
Likely to be a 3-4-3. Could be interesting. Theo is probably a better wing back than full back, and having three CBs will mean Theo doesn’t have as much to do on defense (the weakest part of his game).
100%
I am actually very excited to see this!
Interestingly, I’ve also always thought of Calabria as a wing back too. He is quite good getting forward but weak defensively.
We need win the game in no time and good magine
If we concede, it’ll be from tomori or theo, end of…idk why were wouldnt just use Terra at RB. Sergio need to get past his blind tomori love. He’s a liability
Happy to see that Pavlovic is starting to get consistent minutes as he was our best player in the previous match and has done very well lately. When that is said I suspect he will be met by whistles throughout the match but I might be wrong,
Anywho it should be an interesting match and even if we are to win with more than one goal I suspect it wont be an easy match there as they have a good team and their fans has more heart than most around.
I hope this will actually be a 3-4-3 formation, which I’ve been calling for. We have the squad for it, and it would offer much better balance in the team. Would be nice to see how it works in a game situation
Tf is this? They don’t even try to play or create anything. They look disinterested and lazy.
I mean some of the fans wanted a coach that’ll “die” for the team rather than one that will actually make the team play real ball. We’re back to Pioli era.
Down already….
Jesus Christ Gabbia
Nice Gabbia! WTF
An absolute howler from Gabbia that is simply not ok to F it up that much. Nevertheless it was Baturina who I have complimented earlier who scored. At least its early on in the match and hopefully it will be a wakeup call for us to start to realizing that we will have to turn it up a couple of gears.
If I were this disinterested at my work, they would have fired me on the spot.
millano
Gabbia needs to change his boots, he’s stumbling all over the place
This field is a mess
Total collapse
Musah sent off
What was he thinking
What a idiot
Trash
We had a 75% of making top 8 lol wtf
Only us
Musah is an idiot – totally unacceptable from him. I hope he doesn’t play again, he is useless.
Musah double yellow and now red card never has me calm when fielded even if he plays well once in a blue moon. What a freaking dumb@ss send him to mls clearly that is where he belongs.
Haha, leave it to us to make a mess of things. This team is so disappointing.
Leao is definitely an acutely unserious player
Not much he could do with the sluggish service from midfield. Pulisic getting bullied, Morata missing in action. They just crowding Rafa. More was needed in the center of the park. As I said before Reijnders is too far forward.
Horror show
Conceicao with each game milan look worse. What the hell is this today? I’m tired of always going down, being out possessed and just looking terrible. I don’t know what’s going on but at least with fonseca we somewhat had a plan.
Thank you. Some people are finally waking up to this clown show of a coach that has no tactics but side to side nonsense wing play. Fonseca actually had us playing from the middle to starve Leao so we don’t always have to depend on him but some fans wanted a coach that’ll pet the lazy players and die for the team rather than have them play actual ball. Smh
I turn it on and see we’re 1-0 down… Who ballsed up this time?
Gabbia, and then Musah got himself sent off
🤦♂️
Gabbia fumbled a back pass and their striker pounced
Oh cr@p now even our best defenders are turning into Zapata?
I don’t know if Sergio told them to go out there to play at snail speed, the ball is always going backwards to Gabbia and Pavlo. Too negative. We are too weak in defense to play that game.
No offense to Conceicao, but if you want to act tough you back it up. Wtf is this game plan
Yeah, this is diabolical. Can’t even make out what they are trying to do. Looks like some Phys ed teacher just rolled the ball out to a bunch of 10 year olds and said kick it around.
😂
Its not his fault Musah is an idiot
Gabbia. tripped over his own feet and gave the ball away for a goal. He looks like he’s drunk out there. Can’t handle anything.
Then Musah gets 2 yellows and sent off.
What a change now that we have a “real coach” in there.
Come on boys.
We just need to scrape a draw
Absolutely dreadful first 45. Musah needs a loan spell elsewhere. What a rookie mistake. Two yellows in one half? I mean wow.
Gabbia looks shaky after that mistake too. I’d take him out. I don’t know what the EFF the plan is now with a man down and a goal down.
We’ll come back and win 2-1 that’s what’ll happen 😅 Seriously tho I can’t believe how bad this team is even with Conseicao.
Terra should have played the RB position or musah from the onset rather than using Tomori on that wing, bennacer should have started also. These players look unserious, no fighting spirit, unprofessional set of plays we got playing for this team!!!
Honestly this looks like a team that has quit on the coach. Maybe they are already tired of his screaming at the players.
Or we’ll get another second half miracle and everyone will pretend that Conceicao is doing a good job.
Considering their behaviour, is it fair to say Conceiçao honeymoon is over? Cause these guys casually decided they will be strolling around in a must win game.
Have you watched Porto? This is Conceicao. Why do you think he plays 4-4-2
His squads are built on a strong defense. Which we don’t have. Our team is built to play on the front foot.
First of all, Musah is a headless chicken. Can’t believe this coach started him with Chuk and Okafor on the bench. Lmao.
Second, Conceicao managed to destroy good defense Fonseca built, creating from the middle that Fonseca instituted. He’s back to side to side wing ball and the players are back to being their lazy selves cos they needed a coach just like him. No tactics, just pass side to side and if you get lucky, a counter will net us a goal. lol. Pathetic.
Fonseca is gone, Emerson is not playing, I wonder who those people that wanted Fonseca gone would blame now if they can’t blame their messiah Conceicao.
Its not the coach that they play on the wings and side to side. There is no one in our midfield that is a regista. There is no am either that can create chances from the middle. Fofana is just a muscle (when he is not this tired) and can’t build from deep. Reinders got potential but still can’t find his proper place on the field. Musah is a bad version of kessie. Overall poor quality in the midfield, doesn’t matter who the coach is.
Jesus Christ I just remembered we got the derby in 4 days… DiMarco and Lautaro playing like men possessed, Hakan with his inverted ears – it’ll be an interesting evening..
You know these guys show up for the big games. But we’ve conceded so many goals since the start of the year. It’s insane
Gimenez injured 👍
Who is the striker?!
🐌Morata
Pulisic needs to work on his strength looking like Brahim Diaz out there getting bullied.
Good goal
Guess I’ll have to grab myself a glass of whiskey, at least that is enjoyable and can calm me down which these gents apparently has no clue of how to do with their lethargic attitudes and disinterest to represent the clubs crest…..
About freaking time 1-1 Pulisic
1-1
Playing with Morata was like playing with 10 men
Pulisic!
I don’t even want to think where this team would be without him.
That was a good team move. He just had to slot it in
Nobody should blame the coach for this horrible show from these players, Reijnders was busy strolling on the field and look sluggish to me, same as Fofana, opposition they having easy run thru our midfield
Those 2 need relief. But we have no quality except for Benna without them
1:2 terrible defense.
They should walk back to Milano
No communication between Tomori and Terra
They are better
Penalty
What an absolute sh!t show, regardless of the end result we doesnt really deserve to be amongst the best 8 even if we manage to fight back.
No penalty
that should be penalty for us! the defender was clearly overreacted,rafa just grazed him and he went down wtf! but chucky what was he doing?! he was so lazy to cover the cross resulted in zagreb’s second goal smh!
PSV next, the team we lost to in the group stages the last time we won 4 games in a row in the Champions League.
How is Psv next has the drawn been made