Sergio Conceicao, Head Coach of AC Milan

MN: Probable Milan XI vs. Como – Relatively unchanged by Conceicao for now

Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

AC Milan travel to Como tomorrow night, and Sergio Conceicao is expected to start with a relatively unchanged XI once again. 

Despite a result that frustrated him massively, Conceicao is likely to keep his team quite similar for the game against Como, even though there is a lot of football still to be played this month.

Milan have five games left before the end of the month, so minutes must be rotated carefully by the new head coach, especially with some areas of the squad looking rather thin.

For now, there are no concerns it seems though, and the Portuguese should name a full-strength eleven, according to Milan News.

Mike Maignan will start in between the sticks, and Emerson Royal should return from his suspension to displace Davide Calabria at right-back. In the centre, Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori are fighting off a late challenge from Matteo Gabbia for a starting role. On the left, Theo Hernandez is uncontested and will start.

The midfield could also have some changes. Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders are expected to start currently, but Ismael Bennacer could feature, perhaps from the start instead. Yunus Musah seems quite likely at this point for a starting shirt.

Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao are set to start on the wings, as per usual, but the striker spot could see a shakeup. Alvaro Morata is currently leading, but Tammy Abraham or Francesco Camarda could also be given a chance to impress, though the latter is slightly less likely.

Predicted Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan, Emerson, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo; Musah, Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Leao.

As normal, our match preview is available, featuring the team news for both teams, whilst also detailing the key stats for this clash.

Tags AC Milan Como Milan

32 Comments

  1. Tammy Abraham is a small club striker. He can’t handle the heat of the Milan shirt. His nerves aren’t made for this. You can literally see him losing it on the pitch.

    1. I hope for miracle … hope we buy some real striker to pair with Morata because Abraham’s maximum is just AS Roma.. play in 13 matches this season and has just 2 goals and 1 asist … Really hope they don’t even think about buying him … especially if he was just a Fonseca’s wish, I think Conceicao want definitely different type of striker

    2. It’s not about nerves, it’s the volume of chances. Milan create one good chance for their strikers every other game. There also isn’t a crossing threat from the wings. You can’t expect strikers to score every chance.

      A good ration is one out of 2 or 3 chances.

      1. No, there were five big chances created vs Cagliari. Morata and Abraham just aren’t finishing them. And there were several more that would have been “big chances” had the striker latched onto the pass — when Pulisic feed a ball just a step ahead of where Morata was. A faster forward would have gotten to that one.

        1. No. Milan don’t feed the forwards. There was an article a few weeks ago that showed the players with the most shots. Abraham nor Morata made the top 5. That should tell you there’s a problem.

          I watch game after game wingers and full backs attempt to cross and it goes over the heads of the strikers. It’s frustrating.

  2. Fofana cost us two points due. He misplaced his pass but worse, he failed to put in a tackle and commit a tactical foul. Instead he was easily passed and then he decided to not out in any effort to get back and help the defense. Terrible attitude.

    Bench him this game, start Bennacer next to Musah behind Leao, Reijnders, Puli.

    1. No mention of Mike Maignan allowing one of the softest goals ever to go pass him.
      Fofana and Maignan cost Milan 2 points, not just Fofana.

      1. Don’t lose the ball. He loses it.
        Stop the danger cleanly . He didn’t.
        Stop the danger with a foul. Id rather risk a goal than a booking.
        At least make an effort to recover. No.

        So it’s just Fofana.

        1. People acting like Fofana turned the ball over in front of his own goal. It was well into the other half of the pitch. Why was there no one back? Where the hell were our defenders? WHy were they so far up the pitch that one bad pass leaves us completely exposed?
          I do not like Conte but he seems to be the only coach left that knows how to protect a 1 goal lead. There is no excuse for Calabria to be higher up the pitch than Pulisic at that time in the game. All these coaches know is attack, attack, attack. How about some practicality. There was no way Cagliari was going to score other than that exact scenario.

          1. Sure that approach may not be ideal while leading ,although I personally prefer keeping attacking at that point of the game with over 30 minutes left against freaking Cagliari. Of course passes can be misplaced. I’m actually a fan of trying difficult passes. My main issue with Fofana however is the attitude out losing the ball. Totally unacceptable. Had he fought back to regain possession I promise I wouldn’t off even mention him. That’s why I’m not mentioning Mike. He’s let in an easy shot but you could felt the disappointment in him. He didn’t get those multiple chances of redeeming his mistake, unlike Fofana.

          2. At 1-0, in the last 5 mins or so, Cagliari brings in Augello and Pavoletti, throwing crosses in and heading one into our net, 1-1. See it can backfire that way too?. The reason you try to score more goals before the inevitable pressure in the dying mins. Not every coach is as good as Conte in holding out a narrow lead. They may be better at extending the lead.

          3. @ Calabria. You can still attack without having your fullbacks up in the other teams box. I’m not talking 10 men behind the ball, but for Calabria to be higher up the pitch than Pulisic in that situation is just dumb. He hardly offers anything offensively anyways so why not just keep him back at that point in the game. They were still playing as if they were chasing the game. A little common sense …

          4. Most of Milan’s players were advanced. He needed to know this and not make a risky pass. Also, foul the player then driving pass you. Yes, you miss the COMO game- bfd. Now, if he gets a yellow he misses the Juve game.

        2. All your statements are true, but uh, it wasn’t JUST Fofana. Like literally. Felici still had to make the pass, Zortea still had to make the shot, and Maignan still had to fail to save. Fofana was just one event, albeit an important one, on the road to that goal.

          1. It’s his lack of effort that bothered me. Had he hustled I wouldn’t blame him at all as everyone makes bad passes now and then. But his reaction was pathetic. Mike was at fault for the goal as that should be saved 999 out of 1000 times but Fofana gave up on the play. I think he should see the bench to start tomorrow.

          2. You’re not inaccurate I admit. But just like Ryan and a few others said – it’s the effort or lack of it that makes the difference in this particular judgement I guess.

            Misplaced pass was a mistake. Mike also made a mistake, admittedly bigger than a misplaced pass. Mistakes are forgivable and when something is forgiven it’s better let go. That’s how some of us are counting Mike out in this context.

            Deliberately letting a man through can’t be considered a mistake. And a lack of effort coinciding with conceding a goal is difficult to forgive.

  3. Fofana is a very good medium range passer with excellent strength, stamina and vision. Magnain’s should have save that shot. Starting jiminez for Rafa is a better idea and let Rafa come on the 2nd half where he can exploit the adaptations that Como will need to make when they adjust to his presence. But, when you play Rafa from the start, he is double teamed immediately and looses focus and energy.

  4. Try Gabbia as CF ,maybe we get better finishing, for sure he can score “tap-in” goals like tammy & morata , can’t believe camarda has no minutes cause of these two

    1. Won’t make a difference. Or maybe it will because Gabbia will stay inside the box where a striker is meant to be. That’s better than Morata already. If he’s missing big chances there, he’s still on par with Abraham.

  5. Yes, Cagliari’s goal was Fofana’s fault. Also Mike’s. But people are criticizing Fofana’s attitude of not making the tactical foul. Fofana always tries to recover balls that he loses. He has good attitude. This time he didn’t do it because he didn’t want another yellow, which would make him miss the next game. Yes, it was BAD judgment, it’s best to miss a game but achieve the 3 points then to not miss it but drop two points. So Fofana had a brain fart there. But it’s not for the wrong attitude. He’s not that kind of player.

    I guess he thought his companions would still stop the attack and he didn’t want the yellow. Again, bad judgment, but not for being nasty or anything.

  6. Abraham is not a brilliant striker.
    80% of his time on the ball he acts clueless. Instead of converting Okafor to ST which he will do better than Morata and Abraham with his brilliance and attack high work rate, no they gift him.
    And RLC is still in the club. Later you will see them selling Chukwueze.
    The management is our problem.

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