Milan x Empoli

TIME: 3pm EST/8pm GMT

PLACE: San Siro, Milano

WHERE TO WATCH:

Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support dictators and oligarchs everywhere.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Rotation, rotation, rotation. Looks like Brahim, Krunic, and Kjær are all sitting and I’m expecting Pioli to use all 5 subs today with Napoli looming for Champions League this Wednesday and the second leg the Tuesday after. With that in mind, here’s what I’ll be watching for:

• Going back to the 4-2-3-1 provided Milan with much-needed width vs Napoli. They didn’t play there quite as much with Napoli man-marking and staying close, but the spacing provided lanes up the middle and Milan exploited that all game. Regardless, Milan needs to do this again and then react by staying wide if Empoli chooses to stay compact, or slice them up the middle like they did vs Napoli if they don’t
• CDK is expected to start and I know I’ll be watching to see if he tries to mimic Brahim by finding the open spaces and keeping the ball moving or turning and taking off with the ball when the situation calls for it. He’s kind of been caught in no-man’s land for much of this season because he’s been slow to respond to what’s in front of him. However, we’re nearing the end of the season now and he has over 6 months in Serie A, so it’s time to read and understand what’s going on and make himself available to contribute down the stretch
• Stay wide left, Leão…stay wide, wide left
• I won’t pretend to know a lot about Empoli’s team or game but they have a lot of young and eager players looking to impress. Looking at their team, the goals are pretty equally distributed so Milan needs to be aware that anyone can come in and nab a goal
• Caputo, one of the few vets on the young Empoli squad, leads their line but has more assists than goals, telling me they use him as a point of reference and play through him. Getting good Tomori and not Udinese-Thiaw should be enough to neutralize him but Tonali and Bennacer need to keep close eyes on him too
• Of the young guys on Empoli, Italian Nicolo Cambiaghi has a few goals and is one people are watching out for being he’s only 22yrs old. He’s not slated to start at the moment but I’ll be keeping a side-eye on him

As Lisi said here, this matchup screams trap-game and Milan will need to be focused to walk away with all 3pts (Lisi said a lot of great things about all the matches in the Weekend Whip-Around so give it a read if you haven’t yet). Serie A has been feisty this season with everyone but Napoli seeming to get bit by one of the minnows at some point or another. To make matters worse, Milan has definitely had bouts of distraction or lack of interest in games and it’s why they’re fighting for a top 4 spot, so this game makes me nervous. 

But, BUT! IPIT and IMIT!

Forza Milan

gillis

*Addendum: Rebic and Pobega start over Leão and what we expected to be CDK. Is this a sign of how far CDK has fallen? Regarding how this plays out on the pitch, Pobega is a very direct player, so I expect him to make lots of runs and make himself available in that CAM position, but does that translate to him being a facilitator or reference point for the offense? Interesting stuff…