Week 8: Milan – Verona
The Serie A season has started well and sees Milan sitting in second place and unbeaten. Controversial results and refereeing has seen Milan start 0 out of 2 in the team’s return to Champions League. The number one story exiting another international break however is the injury situation.
Milan fans have been waking up to one injury news after another. Florenzi and Messias went out for several weeks after barely featuring. Bakayoko much the same. Ibra has been a virtual absentee. Krunic more or less the same. But things got worse this week. First Theo entered COVID isolation then news arrived that Maignan needs wrist surgery. The injury is apparently the same that happened when Luis Suarez landed on the goalkeeper’s wrist, or even earlier. If so it begs the question on why he kept playing and even worse travelled with France to the Nations League games. At the end of the day it is likely he will be out for 2 months. With Plizzari also out long term Milan had to search for goalkeepers. One that could be signed as a free agent and aid Tatarusanu and Jungdal. In came Antonio Mirante. The 38 years old most recently spent three years at Roma and was without a club.
But there is more. Calabria and Maldini are not 100% and joining them on the sidelines was Brahim, due to COVID and Rebic for a relative minor issue. Maldini and Rebic – along with Krunic – could be well enough to start but the depth of the squad is as stretched as it can be.
Tatarusanu is likely getting the goalkeeping assignment and in front of him Kalulu, Romagnoli, Tomori and Ballo-Toure should be the starters. If Calabria passes a fitness test he could claim his starting spot. Tonali and Kessie are more likely keeping Bennacer on the bench. Saelemaekers extened his contract to 2026 and is going to start with Rebic and Maldini. All behind Giroud, another recent COVID recovered player.
Verona, with new coach Igor Tudor at the helm started very poorly losing three in a row but haven’t lost any of their last four Serie A games.
Follow the match as it happens, on the forum.