The end of the international break means that Stefano Pioli will be able to begin proper preparation ahead of the big match against Juventus on Sunday.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Milan had their last training session without the big players yesterday, welcoming back many starters yesterday ready to resume training today in view of the game at the weekend.
Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez and Oliver Giroud have secured a spot at next summer’s European Championship in Germany with France. Les Bleus won 2-1 against the Netherlands, then beat Scotland 4-1 in a friendly.
The goalkeeper and the full-back played both matches from start to finish, but against Juve they will not be available due to suspension. In their place will be Marco Sportiello and Alessandro Florenzi.
After that save against Genoa, Giroud was instead on the pitch for 64 minutes, earning a penalty which was then converted by Mbappé. He will be at the centre of the attack against Juve, supported by the irreplaceable Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.
Leao started the two games and two wins (3-2 against Slovakia and 5-0 against Bosnia) with Portugal and his country too stamped their ticket for Euro 2024.
With the United States, Pulisic shone again. After the masterpiece goal scored in the 3-1 friendly defeat against Germany, the captain of USMNT sealed the 4-0 win over Ghana with a goal from a penalty and an assist.
At the moment he remains the first choice on the right, also because Samuel Chukwueze (on the pitch for 65′ with Nigeria, in the friendly against Mancini’s Saudi Arabia) will be out for a month with a hamstring problem.
Musah also stood out for the United States, playing for 75 minutes against Ghana. On Sunday evening, a battle with Ruben Loftus-Cheek is likely for a midfield spot, with the Englishman expected to recover.
On the other side of the midfield will be Tijjani Reijnders, who started in both Netherlands games. After the defeat against France, the Oranje beat Greece and the midfielder was among the best players.
Pioli’s great doubt is between Yacine Adli and Rade Krunic. The Bosnian is also heading towards recovering, but the next few days will be decisive in making a choice.
In defence, good news came from Denmark and Simon Kjaer, fresh from his record. The defender became the player with the most appearances in the history of his national team, reaching 130 against San Marino (match won 2-1 and overtaking Peter Schmeichel).
However, the Fikayo Tomori/Malick Thiaw pairing remains in pole position in the centre, with the Dane possibly ready to come off the bench. Thiaw watched Germany’s first friendly match against the USA from the bench, playing a good half hour as a substitute in his second match against Mexico (2-2).
The Englishman, back in Southgate’s squad, started the 1-0 friendly win against Australia and instead ended up in the stands for the Wembley match against Italy.
Final note on Marco Pellegrino and Davide Bartesaghi: the Argentine, called up for the first time by coach Scaloni, will have to postpone his debut with the Seleccion as he didn’t play, while the left-back played with the Under 19 team against Jan-Carlo Simic’s Serbia, getting an assist on the scoresheet.
