Week 34: Milan – Bologna
Milan remained unbeaten since Serie A’s resumption. Few expected this Milan to do this well and be on a 5 wins 2 ties and 0 losses in a schedule that has included Juventus, Lazio, Roma and Napoli. The current streak has raised the chances of Europa League next season but Roma and Napoli are still ahead in the race for automatic and non-qualifying spots of the competition.
Milan made another come back to beat Parma 3-1. Kjaer, Kessie and most of the 11 have been playing well and surprising some. Pioli, working under the shadow of a likely Rangnick take over, has helped the squad grow and more importantly not buckle after falling behind. Changes need to and will happen before next season starts but some players are showing good signs although consistency is still lacking. This hectic schedule is tiring and that is probably a factor in some of the less than great individual performances.
The same schedule forces the coach to make some changes. Although Milan’s starting 11 has been relatively stable and some rest has been provided within the new five substitutes per match rule.
Romagnoli, Kjaer and Theo will play when available. Conti is the preferred right back option but Calabria will need to play some minutes and games. Kessie and Bennacer have played well but Bigila started vs Parma mostly as a rest for Bennacer. The front four of the 4-2-3-1 is likely to remain close to constant with other starts and minutes accounting for rest and injuries. Paqueta is out with a knock and this allows Calhanoglu and Rebic to play alongside of Saelemaekers and behind Ibra. Castillejo is a few days away from a return so the options are limited for this game vs the Mihajlovic led Bologna.
Follow thew match as it happens, on the forum.