AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has rather unsurprisingly named an unchanged starting XI for the game against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.
Milan come into the game having won their opening two matches of the campaign, beating Bologna 2-0 in round one before triumphing 4-1 against Torino last weekend, and they face a Roma side who have made a comparatively rocky start.
In those two wins, Pioli has stayed loyal to the starting line-up that played in each of the more high-profile preseason friendlies and he has stuck with it tonight as well.
Mike Maignan will keep his position between the sticks with Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez as the back four from right to left.
In midfield, Rade Krunic gets the nod at the base of the trio with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders as the right and left box-to-box players respectively.
The attacking trident will remain composed of Christian Pulisic on the right wing, Rafael Leao on the other flank and Olivier Giroud as the centre-forward.
Pierre Kalulu, Yunus Musah, Yacine Adli, Samuel Chukwueze, Luka Romero and Noah Okafor are among the options able to come off the bench.
Official Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao.
Bench: Sportiello, Mirante, Kalulu, Kjaer, Florenzi, Pellegrino, Pobega, Adli, Musah, Chukwueze, Okafor, Luka Romero.
Official XI (3-5-1-1): Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Llorente; Celik, Cristante, Paredes, Aouar, Zalewski; Pellegrini; Belotti.
Bench: Svilar, Boer, Ndicka, Karsdorp, Kristensen, Bove, Pellegrini, Pagano, Pisilli, Spinazzola, Lukaku.
When will this average coach learn how to rotate team, or did we buy those players for fancy rubbish .. Poli out 😡😡
Hmmmm who are you going to replace and for who? Chuk came late, Puli is ahead of him. Leao has to start, so is Giroud as Okafor is not yet ready for such a big game based on form. Musah isn’t yet ready to replace Krunic for the DM. Who exactly are you subbing?
Probably not going to rotate until after the derby. The games are too crucial
There is a need to rotate after only 2 matches played? Complaining for the sake of complaining. Seems like a general theme on this site.
This is nothing more than his favorite players
..i.e. countryman…not being played. Better players ahead of them buddy. That’s what it is. Chuk and Oka will sub in later so be grateful for that.
Who rotates a winning team….perhaps a boxing coach leading a football team..lol