1 week ago
46
For Sunday night’s gladiatorial clash against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, Massimiliano Allegri will be able to call upon his main warriors.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes, Allegri considers the match in the capital to be a potential turning point in the season. The feeling is that the match at the Stadio Olimpico is truly a crossroads capable of shifting perspectives.
Allegri continues to preach calm, keeping his eye on the gap to fifth in the table (currently seven points) and repeating the mantra of returning to the Champions League being the number on objective for 2025-26.
A win against Gian Piero Gasperini, however, wouldn’t just be a huge step forward toward returning to the top European competition. Rather, it would fuel the Scudetto dream. Scudetto, a word considered taboo in public statements, but much more alive behind closed doors.
So, in the capital, we’ll see the ‘typical’ Milan again – unforeseen circumstances permitting – after the mini-rotation against Lecce. The team, once again, will be built around Luka Modric in the regista role.
The main men
Strahinja Pavlovic returns to the defense. The Serbian centre-back hasn’t played since the draw against Fiorentina, when he was forced off the pitch with a nasty head injury. Despite nine stitches to his temple, Pavlovic would have liked to have been involved against Como and Lecce.
Common sense dictated caution, so he was merely a substitute, having missed the trip to the lake on the Thursday. Now, the Serbian is ready to return against Roma, in the stadium where he scored his first goal for Milan. This was a year and a half ago, and the opponent was Lazio.
The Giallorossi also tested the qualities of the Rossoneri’s warrior in the first game this season. Pavlovic, in fact, decided the reverse fixture, which Allegri prevailed in with a classic 1-0 victory, despite plenty of chances at both ends.
With the former Salzburg man starting, the starting defensive trio returns: Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Pavlovic. Although Koni De Winter’s recent improvement doesn’t entirely rule out surprises, the Belgian would likely move Tomori to the bench.
The doubts
Yesterday at Milanello, the team began training ahead of the trip to Rome. Alexis Saelemaekers, who limped off late in the Lecce match, is the major doubt. The Belgian is suffering from a left adductor strain and is expected to undergo a personalised session again today.
Whether he will play at the Olimpico or not will be revealed in Friday’s training session. Saelemaekers was on loan at Roma last season, and he scored a crucial goal in Roma vs. Milan in 2022-23, equalising after Tammy Abraham’s late opener and allowing the Rossoneri to move closer to securing top four.
If he’s not available on Sunday, a replacement will be needed: Zachary Athekame would be the natural choice, but keep an eye on alternatives, such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek as a wing-back, something Allegri has already tried before.
The Englishman is also an option – as is Samuele Ricci – as a mezzala, although Youssouf Fofana is likely to return from the start to form the trio of Modric and Adrien Rabiot. Likewise, on the left, Davide Bartesaghi will replace Pervis Estupinan, barring any surprises.
And in attack? For the first time this season, Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao are expected to start two games in a row, with Niclas Füllkrug and Christopher Nkunku ready to come off the bench. As Allegri reiterated, and as confirmed by the victory over Lecce, substitutions are always crucial.
English (US) ·