The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Cremonese

AC Milan will start their Serie A season with the game against Cremonese tonight, hoping to make the most of a big crowd. As always, there are some player battles that could decide the outcome. 

Massimiliano Allegri is preparing to be in the dugout for the first time since his Milan return, competitively speaking anyway. He missed the game against Bari due to a suspension but tonight, he will lead the team that he fields himself.

Our pre-match preview has all of the latest team news plus some insight on the opposition, while below are the key battles ahead of the game.

Milan vs. Cremonese: The five key battles

Starting at the back, from Milan’s perspective, Pervis Estupinan will have to be a bit careful in the defensive phase. He has shown that he’s very willing to go forward on the overlap, which is great, but another player who likes to go forward is Alessio Zerbin.

The midfielder is on loan from Napoli and will surely be looking to exploit the space left behind Estupinan. At the same time, the Italian could struggle against the former Brighton man in the 1v1s, so the duel will take place in both phases.

In the centre of the defence, we have a feeling that Strahinja Pavlovic could be targeted by Federico Bonazzoli. The 28-year-old has been around for a while and since he’s not the biggest striker, he relies on quick movement and good shooting ability.

Photo by AC Milan

We have seen before that Pavlovic can lose concentration, subsequently taking up the wrong positions inside the box. Bonazzoli will look to make the most of this but as long as the Serbian is switched on, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Further up the pitch, Luka Modric will dictate the tempo for Milan and his passing will be crucial to opening up Cremonese tonight. The Rossoneri loanee Warren Bondo is starting in the same position for the opponents, but since he has great stamina, he could push up more towards the Croatian.

In other words, the other Cremonese midfielders could drop down a bit, allowing Bondo to apply pressure on Modric. It might not be the case in the end, but the feeling is that he’s Cremonese’s best chance at disturbing the veteran.

On the left flank, Christian Pulisic will definitely end up against the other Milan loanee Filippo Terracciano, regardless of whether the American starts to the left or more in the centre. The two obviously know each other well and that will make it an interesting battle.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Terracciano has shown that he can be very disciplined at the back, but at the same time, there is a pretty big difference in quality between the two. Pulisic simply has to make the most of it, even if his opponent is physically stronger.

Finally, it will be a very entertaining battle around the penalty spot between two very strong players, namely Santiago Gimenez and Federico Baschirotto. The latter will be an incredibly important player for Cremonese this season and it all starts with tonight’s game.

As for the Mexican, he needs to show Allegri that he deserves to start. It’s a chance to build on some positive performances and as said, we will definitely see some physical battles between the two players tonight.