Milan finally have their first on paper winnable Champions League game this season. But Club Brugge won’t be a walk in the park if Milan don’t come prepared to fight and win. The Belgium side is often full of youthful and hungry talent so Milan must focused to take home all 3 points today.
Let’s dive in!
LAST FIVE
MILAN: WWLWD
CLUB BRUGGE: WDWDL
FORMATIONS
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Royal, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernández (C); Fofana, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leão; Morata
CLUB BRUGGE (4-3-3): Mignolet; Seys, Mechele, Ordonez, De Cuyper; Vanaken (C), Onyedika, Jashari; Talbi, Jutglà, Tzolis
TIME/LOCATION
TIME: 12:45pm EST/5:45pm GMT
PLACE: San Siro, Milano, Italy
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount + has your Champions League action in the US. Check your local listings.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
MILAN
MILAN
Fonseca is proving to be a coach who wants to be tactically and formationally nimble and exploit rather than play a preferred system and make other teams adjust. Indeed, the latter was an approach Pioli took nearly every game: we’re going to do what I think we do best and make the other team adjust. This is also what got Pioli in trouble down the stretch as he just didn’t have the pieces to pull this off with any regularity.
After changing formations a few times Fonseca appears to be leaning back to a more 4-2-3-1 of late, and it appears this will be the formation for today’s game. With him starting RLC, my only hope is that Reijnders will be the CAM since Chukwueze is starting on the bench (so Pulisic at RW). I’m pointing this out because, (1) I don’t want RLC as the CAM, and (2) FotMob and usually the pregame lineups have him there even though it’s been Reijnders the last few times he’s fielded this lineup and formation…but FotMob appears to have Reijnders as the CAM so I’m optimistic.
Leão is back in the starting lineup and with Theo sitting out the league game over the weekend, the left side should be fresh and eager to do some damage. Gabbia and Tomori, the latter just made a brief cameo at the end of the Udinese match, should also both be well-rested so I’m expected and high effort, high energy performance from the squad today. No excuses.
CLUB BRUGGE
CLUB BRUGGE
As is often the case in Champions League, an opponent comes who you don’t know much about. I know slightly…very slightly…more about Club Brugge than most other teams that fall into this category because they are one of the bigger clubs from the Belgium top flight. As you likely know, Charles De Ketelaere came to Milan from Club Brugge before moving on to Atalanta.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
ATTACK
Captain HANS VANAKEN will be the one Club Brugge likely plays through today with GUSTAF NILSSON out injured, who has been their best player so far this season. ANDREAS SKOV OLSEN is their other top scorer but he starts today on the bench. Milan will need to be ready when he makes his appearance.
DEFENSE
BRANDON MECHELE is the bigger of their CBs and more of the stay at home guy with JOEL ORDONEZ the more mobile of the two. Odds are that Ordonez will play on Leão’s side even if that isn’t the side of the CB pairing he normally plays. If not, Milan need to exploit this. Wingback MAXIM DE CUYPER appears to like to be the one to get forward between the two, so Pulisic is going to need to be mindful of where he’s at during the game defensively but this could be primed up for Pulisic to exploit as well. Something to watch in today’s game.
PREDICTION TIME
Ugh. I keep saying it but predictions have been tough this season. Team keeps seesawing game-to-game. But they’re at home, refreshed, and in need of a win in Champions League. I’m going to go with a 3-0 win.
Micahel Lisi: We win. Leão scores. Pulisic assist. 3-1.
Let’s do this!
Forza Milan
gillis