Trophy aspiration vs. rotation temptation: Allegri facing dilemma ahead of Lazio rematch

AC Milan will face Lazio for the second time in just a few days on Thursday night when they have a rematch in the Coppa Italia.

As MilanPress recall, a precious 1-0 victory at San Siro thanks to Rafael Leao’s goal allowed Milan to climb into top spot. All of the controversy surrounding the finale, however, means that Lazio will be out for some revenge.

Consistency vs. workload management

Given that Milan are not playing in any European competition this season, the Coppa Italia becomes a serious target to pursue, to try to bring home a trophy and perhaps ‘avenge’ the painful defeat suffered in the final act of last season against Bologna.

Against the Biancocelesti, it will be a real battle, especially after what happened in the final minutes of the San Siro match as mentioned, when referee Collu was mistakenly called to the VAR by his colleague Di Paolo for a non-existent handball by Pavlovic on a Romagnoli shot.

It’s easy to imagine that the atmosphere will be heated on Thursday at the Stadio Olimpico, and therefore Massimiliano Allegri and Milan will have to rely on all their experience to try and secure qualification for the quarter-finals.

To do so, they’ll also need a fresh team, so it’s inevitable that some necessary rotation will be considered, even though we’re well aware that Allegri doesn’t like to change his squad, preferring to rely on a core group of 13-14 loyal players.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Yet some changes will have to be made, especially in midfield, where several players are somewhat short of breath. Among them is certainly Luka Modric: after 13 out of 13 starts and only 25 minutes of rest so far, he could use a rest. The same probably applies to Youssouf Fofana.

In midfield, there’s no shortage of options: Thursday’s match against Lazio could be the perfect opportunity to see Ardon Jashari back in the starting line-up. Samuele Ricci and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also capable and available.

In defence, Koni De Winter could be the starting choice, giving one of Gabbia (the most used Milan player in Serie A so far this season) or Strahinja Pavlovic (who has also consistently played for club and country) a rest.

On the left, Pervis Estupinan is expected to get a chance, having lost his starting spot to a rapidly improving Davide Bartesaghi. In attack, there are some question marks about whether Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez will be back and therefore able to give Rafael Leao a breather.