In a weekend full of Serie A spectacle, Milan have the chance to close the gap with its competitors against Spezia, who travel to the San Siro tonight.
It was a week where Milan showed two faces. Last Sunday, the Rossoneri suffered a shock defeat against Jurić’s Torino (2-1). Three days later, Milan qualified for the next Champions League round after thrashing Salzburg 4-0, with goals from Giroud (twice), Krunić and Junior Messias.
Spezia are having a tough season in Serie A. With only 9 points, they occupy 16th place in the league. It looked like they were going to get a point against Fiorentina last week, but a 90th minute winner from Arthur Cabral changed that.
All other teams in teams in the top 5 are playing each other, with Napoli against Atalanta and Roma facing Lazio. So, even though Milan are not playing a ‘big’ team, it is still a crucial match for them. The last time Spezia faced the Rossoneri, they won 1-2 at San Siro. That is definitely something that’s in the heads of Gotti’s men.
Results in the last five matches in all competitions
Milan: W-L-W-W-W
Spezia: L-L-W-D-L
Team News
Milan have not suffered any new injuries. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mike Maignan, Alessandro Florenzi, Davide Calabria and Alexis Saelemaekers are all still out. The team will look largely the same to the one that beat Salzburg. Gabbia is expected to come back into the starting eleven to replace Kjær, while Rebić and Krunić could make way for Messias and Díaz.
The Rossoneri must have been relieved when they heard that Gyasi is not available for Spezia due to a muscle problem. He scored the winning goal in extra time last time the two sides met. Verde is likely going to be the man to replace him up top, which means Milan loanee (and son of Paolo) Daniel Maldini won’t start. Kovalenko and Bastoni are also not available for the visitors, while Nikolaou is suspended due to the red card he received against Fiorentina.
Milan’s predicted XI vs. Spezia:
Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernández; Tonali, Bennancer; Messias, Díaz, Leão; Giroud.
Spezia’s predicted XI vs. Milan:
Dragowski; Ampadu, Kiwior, Hristov; Holm, Bourabia, Ekdal, Agudelo, Reca; Nzola, Verde.
Jurre van Wanrooij | GIFN
