AC Milan squad has an important fixture against a strong opponent tomorrow in La Spezia. Coach Stefano Pioli is set to face young tactician Thiago Motta who is leading the Ligurian side.
The Rossoneri will go into matchday 6 while giving 100% as usual and try to secure three precious points from a difficult pitch.
Il Diavolo club are currently second with city rivals Inter with 13 points after 5 matches in the league. The first one on the table is Napoli who have so far a 100% winning record.
Coach Stefano Pioli does not forget the 'black night' in La Spezia last night. The Rossoneri team, even with Ibrahimovic on the pitch, could not come to bring a result against a well-organised team, which was then led by Vincenzo Italiano who is now the boss at Fiorentina. AC Milan lost that night 2-0, and Stefano Pioli, in the pre-match press conference commented this way, remembering that result: “In La Spezia last year everything was missing. We have to do everything the opposite way, we have to be a team from start to finish and be more dangerous than them.”
Changing coaches, however, is not an issue for Spezia. With Thiago Motta and a few good signings, the club seems still strong and in the right path for growth.
In the last fixture, the Ligurian team barely lost against Juventus at home 3-2. One of the most interesting players for them is without a doubt Janis Antiste who was on the radar of the Rossoneri previously. The player has a good sense of positioning in the attack, he is quick and can dribble with good agility. He plays well with both feet and Milan's defence will have to be well-focused to keep him in check. Another player at Spezia is also a source of threat: we are talking about Emmanuel Gyasi, Italo-Ghanian 27-year-old striker.
AC Milan will have to be careful and quick to beat Spezia who will be compact in the back, not leaving much space for the Rossoneri players. They will try to rely on Gyasi and Antiste speed to try and hit back while exploiting the space left by the red and black faithful.
It is true that there are many injured players at Milanello. However, Pioli recovered two important players in Davide Calabria and Olivier Giroud who represent a huge boost to the squad's chances.
Spezia, on the other hand, have some absences. In fact, the game against Milan for them will see them miss out on the services of Viktor Kovalenko, Kevin Agudelo, Leo Sena, Arkadiusz Reca, and Ebrima Colley. These are all midfielders who won't take the field. Their centre-back star, Martin Erlic, who played an excellent game versus Milan last season in the return fixture, will also not be available as he is on a precautionary rest.
The match promises to be difficult for AC Milan who have the pressure of having to win in order to cope up with rivals Inter and Napoli at the top of the table while Spezia will try their hardest to gain a point and even the 3 points.
Stefano Pioli is studying the best possible lineup to deploy at the Alberto Picco stadium. Here are his possible choices, with Daniel Maldini tipped to start over Brahim Diaz. The Spaniard needs rest and the Italian attacking midfielder has earned this opportunity to showcase his talent:
4-2-3-1: Maignan; Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Theo; Tonali, Kessie; Saelemaekers, Maldini, Leao; Giroud
For AC Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rade Krunic, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Simon Kjaer, Junior Messias, Alessandro Florenzi, and Alessandro Plizzari are unavailable.
Spezia's probable lineup should look like the following, on the other hand, with key man Janis Antiste on the bench, ready to enter while the match in progress as a fresh body to create some chaos with his qualities:
4-2-3-1: Zoet; Amian, Nikolau, Hristov, Batons; Bourabia, Hall; Gyasi, Major, Green; Nzola.
