The international break has reached its end, and with that comes the return of European football. In Serie A, AC Milan face a crucial match against Napoli on Sunday.
The Rossoneri currently sit in first place, but Napoli are third and just three points behind. The season is still young, but these are the kind of matches that dictate which teams are serious threats for the Scudetto. Milan have a win and a draw against other top sides (Inter and Roma), but at the moment, Napoli remain a clear threat to take over first place. It’s vital that Milan role out with the best line-up in their 4-2-3-1 formation.
How AC Milan Should Line-up in Serie A Match Against Napoli
The Defence – a Weaker Aspect of AC Milan
First things first, Gianluigi Donnarumma will start at goalkeeper. He’s arguably the top goalkeeper in Serie A, and often Milan’s saviour. He will be relied upon to keep Napoli’s electric attack at bay.
The centre-back pairing gets interesting. Simon Kjaer is a must-start. He’s been Milan’s rock and just finished up international break as the captain of Denmark. Kjaer continues to be Milan’s top defender.
The other centre-back will be a choice between Alessio Romagnoli and Matteo Gabbia. Romagnoli is Milan’s captain but is going through a run of poor form. Gabbia, however, was playing magnificent football before contracting COVID-19, so he was forced to sit out and recover. Normally this is not a debate, but Romagnoli’s form makes it one. The captain, however, is likely to start for leadership and experience purposes.
Left-back belongs to Theo Hernandez. He’s superb when going forward and although he can improve defensively, he stands above and beyond Milan’s other options.
The right-back duel is between Davide Calabria and Diogo Dalot. Calabria has started the majority of Milan’s games, but he’s far too inconsistent. Dalot, however, in a small sample size, has been first-rate. His ability to go forward and contribute to the attack in a variety of ways makes him the ideal full-back pairing with Hernandez. Dalot needs to start.
The Midfield Double Pivot
There’s no debate in this area of the field. Manager Stefano Pioli’s midfield double pivot of Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie is nothing short of outstanding.
They’ve been starting together for months now, and continue to produce the best imaginable performances. Bennacer is incredible at dissecting his opposition, and his play often dictates how Milan play. Kessie, on the other hand, is a Swiss army knife who can do it all. He tracks back to defend, can hit pinpoint passes, and is very often involved in goal-scoring opportunities.
Milan also have Sandro Tonali. He’s still not ready to start, especially in a match of this magnitude, but should be one of the first names off the bench should Milan require more help.
The Attack
Milan employ three attacking midfielders behind a lone striker. For this game, they must start Hakan Calhanoglu in the middle, Ante Rebic on the left, Alexis Saelemaekers on the right, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the striker.
Calhanoglu started this season in mind-blowing form. That form is in the middle of taking a dip, but he must start regardless of that. Calhanoglu has great chemistry with Ibrahimovic and the potential to create something out of nothing.
Rebic should finally be healthy after this international break. He’s missed the majority of the season so far, but it’s important to note that he was one of Milan’s best attackers last season. They need his goal-scoring prowess back to not seem one-dimensional.
Saelemaekers is an interesting player- he’s solid in all aspects but lacks the flair to truly stand out. With that being said, he contributes going forward and defensively and is an extremely hard worker.
Ibrahimovic will continue to be a must-start all season long. The ageless Swede currently leads Serie A in scoring and is the focal point of Milan’s attack.
Milan also have strong depth in this department. Rafael Leão and Brahim Diaz are starting-calibre players, but for this match-up, they’re best suited contributing in the second-half off the bench.
Main Photo
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