On Saturday evening against Empoli, the turning point of Milan's match came with the introduction of Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao, and Santiago Gimenez in the second half.
All Milan fans were eager to see these three players alongside Joao Felix, the only one of the four who started against the Tuscan side.
Will the '4-2-fantasy' formation also be seen on Wednesday evening in Rotterdam in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs against Feyenoord?
As explained this morning by Tuttosport, Sergio Conceiçao is very tempted by this option, but also somewhat forced, as Milan will travel to the Netherlands with an emergency situation: the club had a great winter transfer window, but only three changes can be made to the UEFA list (Walker, Felix, and Gimenez have been included), meaning Warren Bondo and Riccardo Sottil have not been added to the list of players eligible to play in the second part of the competition. Additionally, two other midfielders will not be available: the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek and the suspended Yunus Musah.
With so many absentees in midfield, Conceiçao's choices are almost forced...
In fact, the only alternative to the 4-2-fantasy setup is to start Filippo Terracciano from the first minute for a Milan side that is a bit less attacking and more defensive. We will see what the Rossoneri coach decides, knowing that if he starts Pulisic, Felix, Gimenez, and Leao together, they will need to show great spirit of sacrifice to help out defensively. Otherwise, it will be a tough and exhausting evening for Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders.
