Massimiliano Allegri has named his starting line-up for AC Milan’s trip to face Hellas Verona, and he has reverted to a 3-5-2.
Sunday’s game at the Stadio Bentegodi is huge in the scheme of Milan’s season. With a win, they would open up the gap to fifth place to eight points with five games to go, meaning a Champions League spot would increase quite a lot in likelihood.
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Amid all the rumours about Allegri being unhappy with the management and potentially having an eye on the Italy job, there is a chance to take care of business and ease all of the external noise ahead of next weekend’s game against Juventus. First, though, there is Verona to beat.
Hellas Verona vs. AC Milan: Official starting XIs
Allegri can smile because for the first time in a long time he has no injuries or other absences to deal with. Matteo Gabbia became the last out of the treatment room, having fully recovered after surgery on a hernia.
He slots straight back into the heart of the three-man defence, with the 4-3-3 shelved after just one disastrous game against Udinese. Fikayo Tomori returns too, with Strahinja Pavlovic on the left side and Mike Maignan in goal.
Zachary Athekame has been entrusted as the right wing-back, with Davide Bartesaghi on the left side. Luka Modric anchors a midfield trio with Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot, while Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic are entrusted to lead the line.
Official Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Athekame, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.
Bench: Pittarella, Terracciano, De Winter, Odogu, Saelemaekers, Estupinan, Ricci, Jashari, Loftus-Cheek, Nkunku, Fullkrug, Gimenez.
Official Hellas Verona XI (3-5-2): Montipò; Nelsson, Edmundsson, Frese; Oyegoke, Akpa Akpro, Gagliardini, Bernede, Belghali; Orban, Sarr.
Bench: Perilli, Toniolo, Frese, Lovric, Lirola, Slotsager, Harroui, Bella-Kotchap, Aguiar, Cham, Ajayi, Elmusrati, Vermesa.
1 :0 Verona milan alegri out
Ok Juve fan
Very important game for us for CL spot. Como has lost with Sassuolo, Roma and Atalanta made a 1-1. If we will win , we have 90% chance to keep a CL spot. We must aim for second place in the championship final order, more money , more visibility.
100%. All other results were in our favor. A win here will put us very close to guarantee UCL next season.
Didn’t watch the previous two matches, luckily.
Today it better be a change of results.
You’re lucky – this one’s not exactly riveting though… Saw the highlights of Real Madrid/ Bayern Barcelona/ Athletico – it’s like watching a different sport…
Yeah this is definitely not a riveting match as I’m quite bored to be honest 😀 I watched both of those two matches and both was great and the Bayern/Madrid match was something else and will be remembered for a long time.
Is fofana an attacking midfielder? Because the guy is almost always in the attacking third, while IMO he should be the one shielding the defense, give the ball go modric and game on. He is never in his half when they attack us
For some reason we can’t seem to play out of any team’s press.
Not even verona’s smh
Think about it. When’s the last time you’ve seen a Milan attavk that started at the back and ended with a shot, no throw ins or free kicks in between?
We can’t play out of defence to save our lives.
At this moment I feel like sleeping. Awful game in 22minutes. Are we going to Europe with this
Milan players are a lazy bunch. That’s why they love this lazy type of football Allegri employs. The usual suspects Tomori and Leao are the loudest about keeping Allegri next season.
Fonseca was the only coach to call out their laziness especially Theo and Leao and he was booted. Now we’re seeing the laziness of Leao in full force. We cannot continue with Allegri next season. It’s gonna be a disaster!!
Man…we are unwatchable…this “team” has no identity, no stile, our playing speed and combinations are sooooo sloooooowwww…
Basically if you watch these guys playing you can say they don’t training together…
The most boring team I ever watch in my life…
If I was not a Milan fan , never ever in a million years I would not watching a Milan game…
In this modern era of football if you are not entertaining , you don’t make reach you don’t exist from economical perspective and if you don’t exist economically you dont exist sportive performance
Whenever my brothers see me watching Milan’s game they say the same thing. They can’t stand watching our boring games. They’re always asking me how I manage to sit thru 90 mins of this team’s boring game style. SMH
Finally a good action and something efficient from Leao. This kind of stuff we want from Leao , more often , more consistent
At this point, it is clear that part of corto muzzo is conserving energy in the first half then ramping the intensity as the other team tires in the second.
The announcer used the word “turgid” to describe us. Good word. Bad look for us.
We are built for 3 at the back. We give up little with Pavlovic making both aggressive and effective forward runs.
What I cannot figure is why we play 2 on the front line with our personnel.
343 puts out attackers in the spots they want to be.
Starting Modric and Rabio but ensuring we are subbing at the 60 with Fofana Ricci/Jashari so players know they can play flat out in the middle compensates for the lack of the extra mid with extra energy.
Looking towards Europe then we still need that 9 (or to see Santi is what we hoped he was last season when we bought him), but it becomes clear that the upgrade we need is a balanced winger on the right so Athekame can develop and a high quality backup to Bartesaghi. Then depth at CB.
We would also need a quality backup at left wing. Pulisic rotating over occasionally won’t cover us for a full season with UCL.
Saelemakers becomes a quality backup to Pulisic. And, an emergency WB.
This then allows us to look for kids like Athekame to add depth. It allows Camarda to come back to the fold and play the smaller teams.
All that by a simple change in the front of th formation. SMH.
What the acutal f?? there is no offside on Gabbia, Gagliardini was a whole metere a head of him.
Hanging on against mighty Verona. Lol.
We’re up by only 1 against Verona and playing time wasting at the 80th minute. Jeez!!! This is insane
Another AllegriBall game…
Another terrible game but at least 3 points is in the bank. Milan is unwatchable.