GdS: Predicted XIs for Milan vs. Fiorentina – Reijnders out and Tomori back in | OneFootball

AC Milan are back in Serie A action at San Siro tonight as they take on Fiorentina, another team hoping for a late surge into a European spot.

Milan welcome La Viola having 1-1 against Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday night, and at present that is their most realistic route into a European competition for next season.

However, the team have an obligation to win in the league too, even if four defeats in their last six Serie A games has put them nine points away from fourth spot and even eight from the UEL place.

The predicted starting XIs

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports this morning, the absentees for Milan will be Alex Jimenez due to suspension, plus Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek due to injury.

Tijjani Reijnders is also expected to miss out due to a virus of sorts. Something seems to have swept through the squad, given Musah and Malick Thiaw have both missed games recently due to sickness.

The paper believes that Mike Maignan will be in goal with a back four of Kyle Walker, the returning Fikayo Tomori, Thiaw and Theo Hernandez ahead of him. Warren Bondo and Youssouf Fofana are expected to be the midfield double pivot.

Christian Pulisic shifts inside to a central attacking midfield role, flanked by Samuel Chukwueze to the right (in what would be his first start under Conceicao) and Rafael Leao to the left. Tammy Abraham should lead the line over Santiago Gimenez.

Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Tomori, Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Bondo, Fofana; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Abraham.

Predicted Fiorentina XI (3-5-1-1): De Gea; Pongracic, Mari, Ranieri; Dodo, Mandragora, Fagioli, Cataldi, Parisi; Gudmundsson, Kean.