AC Milan is currently third in the Serie A league table with 10 points. The last game for the Rossoneri was against rivals Juventus which ended with a draw at the Allianz stadium.
Now, coach Stefano Pioli is set for his first midweek fixture in this season campaign and the opponent will be a decent newly-promoted side Venezia who are very eager to prove that they deserve to be in Serie A. The team will come to the San Siro with the intention of getting a positive result.
Milan, as you all know, are going through a dreadful period concerning the availability of roster. In fact, the squad will take the field without many important players. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Olivier Giroud, Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Rade Krunic and Junior Messias are all unavailable with the latter not being injured, but just not physically fit yet. He is working seperately to reach a good condition and the hope is to find him ready by next week.
With this in mind, Pioli must rotate some key players to avoid fatigue and muscle injuries. Here is the expected lineup:
4-2-3-1: Maignan; Kalulu, Romagnoli, Gabbia, Theo Hernandez; Ismael Bennacer, Sandro Tonali; Alessandro Florenzi, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao, Ante Rebic.
Few changes are expected to be made. Ismael Bennacer is set for his first start of the season as he will look to prove himself once again and dominate the midfield by working with Sandro Tonali who has been nothing but reliable since the start of this season.
Kalulu, on the other hand, had a good performance against Juve, Pioli will confirm him to replace the injured Davide Calabria who is now a key part of the squad.
The Rossoneri players should take the field with conviction, clear ideas and aggressiveness. The idea will be to play a high-paced style of football that Venezia can't cope with. Pioli, in a recent press conference did confirm that the aim is to play at a higher tempo than the other team.
Ante Rebic, Rafael Leao, Brahim Diaz, Theo Hernandez and Kalulu all are pacey players in this squad and they can initiate good attacking scenarios. However, Venezia will hurt Milan if Il Diavolo leave too much space at the back. Pioli must organise his players' movements and timed runs. Set pieces are also always dangerous.
The man to watch out for in the Venezia team should be their attacking midfielder, who drifts to the right lane usually: Aramu. He will position himself more secluded, wide to the right, starting from the ten goals and six assists of last Serie B. Putting the disqualification at the beginning of the season behind him, the Italian has regained his place as protagonist. Now, even Theo Hernández will have to pay attention to the Piedmontese attacking midfielder.
Despite the absences, Milan have the quality and on paper, they are the favourites to grab the 3 points in this clash. But, Venezia are not to be underestimated. The red and black faithful must enter the field with much concentration.
