AC Milan injuries are no help as they travel to Portugal to take on Porto on Tuesday night in a Champions League clash at the Estadio Dragão. The implications for this match are quite high. Porto sit third in Group B, whereas Milan are fourth. Both teams will be clawing for a victory to keep their hopes of making it to the round of 16 alive. Milan, however, is severely shorthanded due to injuries.
AC Milan Injuries: Shorthanded Rossoneri Face Porto in Europe
AC Milan Injuries Mounting Up
In what seems to be a norm now, injuries continue to pile up for Milan. They’ve been without Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for much of the season. Both are back and available, but not fully fit.
Mike Maignan has starred as the goalkeeper. He’s out for most of the remainder of 2021. Theo Hernandez, a stellar defender and attacker, is out due to a positive COVID-19 test result. Brahim Diaz, who is enjoying a breakout season, has a knock as well. Lastly, Ante Rebic suffered an injury on Saturday versus Hellas Verona. That’s four crucial starters for Milan.
Alessandro Florenzi and Tiemoue Bakayoko, two very reliable, experienced members of the squad, also remain out.
Lastly, Junior Messias is also out. He’s only appeared once for Milan, but he adds attacking depth. Milan is now very thin in the goalkeeper, full-back, and attacking departments.
How Milan Will Line-Up
Of course, due to the injuries, things get interesting here.
Milan signed veteran goalkeeper Antonio Mirante, who last played for Roma. He’s a decent addition but has not been with the club long enough to be able to start. Due to this, Ciprian Tătărușanu will get the start. He allowed two goals versus Verona this past weekend, but one was a penalty. Although he’s 35-years-old, his experience in the Champions League is minimal.
The defence should feature Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Simon Kjaer, and Davide Calabria. Three out of the four are regular starters. Kalulu, typically a right-back, will start at left-back in place of Hernandez. Fode Ballo-Toure is technically Milan’s backup left-back, but he had a horrific showing over the weekend.
Sandro Tonali earned a well-deserved rest versus Verona, but he’ll be back in the line-up. He’ll partner alongside Franck Kessie, who’s picking up his form after starting the season with an injury.
Three players will line up behind a lone striker. This trio will feature Rafael Leao, Rade Krunic, and Alexis Saelemaekers. Leao’s been fantastic this season and will be crucial in this match. Saelemakers always provides steady production. Krunic will be the interesting replacement for Diaz. The Bosnian can fit into multiple positions due to his playing style. He always plays hard, which is a bonus, but he’s not as talented as the injured Diaz.
Giroud will likely start as the lone striker having scored v Verona. Ibrahimovic is still recovering but will be available off the bench. Should a situation arise where Milan is down, Ibrahimovic will surely find his way onto the pitch. Milan manager Stefano Pioli may even opt to use both Giroud and Ibrahimovic together to score goals.
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