Official: AC Milan vs. Fiorentina starting XIs – three changes from Juventus draw

AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri has named his starting line-up to face Fiorentina, and it is an almost obligatory 11 selections.

Milan have been decimated by injuries in the past few days, with six absentees expected for the game against La Viola this evening. Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Christopher Nkunku, Pervis Estupinan and Ruben Loftus-Cheek join Ardon Jashari in the stands.

Given the squad only had 19 outfield players to begin the season with, and Jashari suffered a leg fracture in August, it is a dire situation for such a big game, one in which a win would send the Rossoneri top.

AC Milan vs. Fiorentina: Official starting XIs

The good news for Allegri is that he can call upon the same rearguard of Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic ahead of Mike Maignan. They will aim to keep a seventh clean sheet of the campaign.

The youthful wing-back duo of Zachary Athekame and Davide Bartesaghi have been called upon, with Alexis Saelemaekers moving to play behind the striker Rafael Leao. Samuele Ricci, Luka Modric and Youssouf Fofana are the midfield three, and the bench is down to the bare bones.

Official Milan XI (3-5-1-1): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Athekame, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Saelemaekers; Leao.

Bench: P. Terracciano, Pittarella, De Winter, Odogu, Sala, Gimenez, Balentien.

Official Fiorentina (3-5-2): De Gea; Pongraci, Pablo Marì, Ranieri; Dodò, Fagioli, Nicolussi Caviglia, Mandragora, Gosens; Fazzini, Kean.

Bench: Martinelli, Lezzerini, Comuzzo, Viti, Kouadio, Parisi, Ndour, Gudmundsson, Sohm, Sabiri, Fortini, Piccoli, Dzeko.