After playing just 17 minutes across the first six matches in Serie A and the Europa League, Matteo Gabbia could be handed his first start. Ahead of Sunday’s away match against Sassuolo, scheduled for 6pm at the Mapei Stadium, Amorim is considering some changes to his starting XI, with one of the main selection battles involving the centre of defence. As reported by Sky Sport, Gabbia is now fully available again after the ankle problem that disrupted the start of his season.
Gabbia-De Winter, a selection battle for Amorim
Koni De Winter will compete with him for the spot, having been one of Amorim’s undisputed starters so far. Alongside Pavlovic, the Belgian is the only Rossoneri outfield player to have played every available minute at the start of this season.
The situation was different during the international break, when De Winter did not feature at all for Belgium, remaining on the bench for all four matches they played. Gabbia, meanwhile, was able to train consistently at Milanello under Amorim, getting back to full fitness after his physical problems. The Portuguese coach appears set to stick with the four-man defence used against Lecce, with Gila at right-back, Pavlovic in the centre and Bartesaghi on the left. That leaves one final spot to be decided, with Gabbia looking to break De Winter’s dominance in the defensive pecking order.
The decision will be made during the upcoming training sessions, but the first genuine battle between the two for a starting place is now open. And with nine matches on the horizon in less than a month, Gabbia could finally get the opportunity to carve out a more important role in Amorim’s Milan.
