AC Milan are taking on Lazio this evening in what is a must-win, having clinched just one point in the first two games. With some surprises in the starting XI, there will be a couple of interesting battles at Stadio Olimpico.
Paulo Fonseca is set to make some bold decisions regarding the starting XI as Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao reportedly will be benched. It’s a big statement from the manager who clearly didn’t appreciate their attitudes last time out.
In any case, there will be some interesting battles out there tonight and below, we have picked out five of these…
Let’s start at the back from Milan’s perspective. Matthias Zaccagni can be lethal on a good day and instead of Davide Calabria, he will be up against the new signing Emerson Royal. It will be an opportunity for the Brazilian to prove himself, following a subpar debut.
On the opposite flank, Adam Marusic is a right-back who likes to overlap and will surely give Philip Terracciano some problems. The Milan full-back struggled defensively in the pre-season and much like Emerson, this will be an opportunity to prove the fans wrong.
In the middle of the pitch, Tijjani Reijnders will move in the same areas as Matthew Guendouzi and it remains to be seen how the physical battle will end. The Dutchman is clearly better technically but strength hasn’t always been his best trait.
Samuel Chukwueze will get the chance from start and he must replicate what we saw during the pre-season. A goal or assist could be all that it takes to build enough momentum and confidence, but he will be up against the strong left-back Nuno Tavares.
Finally, Noah Okafor will be the starting striker again given the injuries and he will likely target Alessio Romagnoli. Milan fans know him well and with that in mind, the Italian isn’t always brilliant when defending against fast and technical players.
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