Briefing: AC MILAN vs. Hellas Verona
The outcome of a second game at San Siro will be examined.
The games never stop.Our sixth league match will be at Hellas Verona, and three crucial points are on the line against a team that has begun the season strongly after nearly surviving relegation in 2022/23. In a game that we’re currently taking a deeper look at through our pre-match briefing, the Rossoneri will need to secure a victory.
CHANGES AND QUICK TURNAROUNDS
Given that matchday six is set for midweek, Stefano Pioli’s team will play every three days until the following international break. For the game against Newcastle, the Head Coach made adjustments, and he’ll probably do them again for the team’s fifth Serie A encounter. Verona will also be taking a look at their calendar because they have three games coming up in the next eight days (they play Atalanta on Wednesday, the same day AC Milan plays Cagliari, and Torino on October 2). In a match that is taking place during the first truly intense period of the season, both sides will try to maximize the utilization of their respective squads.
MAKING THE OPPOSITION MOVE THE BALL
AC Milan will be facing a team that has adopted a direct style of play and takes few touches since they are accustomed to playing possession-based football. It’s a conflict where two opposing strategies are pitted against one another. Only Roma and Lecce have performed better in individual duels in the first four matchdays than Baroni’s Hellas, but the same cannot be said of their ability to move the ball; they rank bottom in terms of the proportion of completed passes. Pioli’s team may need to make the Gialloblù pass the ball about and play in a manner with which they are not familiar in order to succeed, particularly as they search for openings in the Verona backline. It’s unlikely that this will be a simple task:Hellas have kept two clean sheets in their opening four fixtures, during which they’ve conceded four goals (three in the same match against Sassuolo).
CLINICAL EDGE IN FRONT OF GOAL
In four separate players, the Rossoneri have scored nine goals, and they are more successful when they attack through the center. Pioli’s club has potential for development down the wings, and many are interested to see how the players that are brought into the side will perform there. In contrast, the Gialloblù have accrued seven points despite only scoring four goals, all of which came from open play. Only Empoli and Genoa have performed worse than Baroni’s club in terms of xG (Expected Goals), but they have demonstrated a superior clinical edge. As for the Rossoneri, they failed to score for the first time this season against Newcastle, but it was a match where they created plenty of chances. They need to seize the moments if they want to secure their fourth league victory of the campaign.
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport and Sky Italia, Pioli is now planning to use a 3-4-3 in place of the 4-3-3 that Milan has been utilizing to start this season. In addition, he will alter the starting lineup by six players from the match against Newcastle.
The new faces in defense are Marco Sportiello and Simon Kjaer, while Yunus Musah and Alessandro Florenzi will play as wingbacks higher up. Tijjani Reijnders will partner with Rade Krunic in the middle, where he will remain.
Christian Pulisic will also resume playing on the right wing after being benched the previous game. Given that Noak Okafor and Olivier Giroud are still vying for a position, there may even be seven substitutions.
Sportiello; Thiaw, Kjaer, Tomori; Musah, Krunic, Reijnders, Florenzi; Pulisic, Giroud (Okafor), Leao; are the probable Milan XI (3-4-3) lineup.
