Official: AC Milan vs. Cremonese starting XIs – two changes from Bari win

Massimiliano Allegri has named his starting XI for AC Milan’s league opener against Cremonese, giving Luka Modric the nod from start. 

Following the comfortable 2-0 win against Bari, Milan need to step it up even more against Cremonese tonight. While they are big favourites on paper, they still need to get the job done and this is something Allegri stressed during his presser as well.

Furthermore, the opening game can always be a bit tricky, so it’s no surprise that Allegri has opted for familiar solutions and some experience with his starting eleven for the night…

AC Milan vs. Cremonese: Official starting XIs

Gazzetta dello Sport stated this morning that Modric was in pole position for a starting spot, ahead of Samuele Ricci, and this has now been confirmed. The Croatian veteran will be playing in the holding midfield role and tonight, his passing could be crucial to break down Cremonese.

There are no surprises apart from that, with Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez teaming up in attack. That is mainly due to Rafael Leao’s calf injury, but the duo also combined well for one of the goals against Bari.

Official Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Fofana, Estupinan; Gimenez, Pulisic.

Bench: Pittarella, Terracciano; Athekame, Bartesaghi, De Winter, Jiménez; Jashari, Musah, Ricci; Chukwueze.

Official Cremonese XI (3-5-2): Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti; Zerbin, Collocolo, Grassi, Vandeputte, Pezzella; Okereke, Bonazzoli.

Bench: Nava, Silvestri; Ceccherini, Folino, Floriani Mussolini, Sernicola; Bondo, Castagnetti, Lordkipanidze, Payero; De Luca, Sanabria.

❗ OFFICIAL: #ACMilan‘s starting XI for #MilanCremonese

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— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) August 23, 2025