Massimiliano Allegri used Thursday’s training session to rehearse two different looks for Milan ahead of Saturday’s Milan - Udinese match at 18:00, including a three-forward attack and a 3-5-2. Friday’s session was expected to bring the final call on the lineup, with Santiago Gimenez set to return as a starter.
The biggest indication from the day’s work was that Milan may not be locked into one shape. If Allegri goes with two forwards, Gimenez could partner Christian Pulisic. If he starts with three, Gimenez would lead the line, Pulisic would move to the right, and Rafael Leão or Christopher Nkunku would occupy the left-sided role.
That uncertainty matters because the team is coming out of a week in which the coach had more than football on his mind. On Wednesday evening, Allegri was at the Unipol Forum in Assago to watch EuroLeague basketball, where Olimpia Milano lost to Bayern Monaco. He was due back to football work on Thursday afternoon, before the squad was set to go into retreat ahead of the Udinese match.
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There is also a broader tactical question behind the lineup talk. Corriere dello Sport reported that a move from a three-man back line to a four-man defense would bring changes in the back four as well, with Strahinja Pavlovic treated as the only untouchable defender and likely able to play as the left-sided center-back because he is left-footed. Matteo Gabbia and Koni De Winter were competing for the other center-back place, while Davide Bartesaghi and Pervis Estupiñan were fighting for the left-back role. Zachary Athekame was expected to start on the right instead of Alexis Saelemaekers, while Luka Modrić and Adrien Rabiot were considered certain starters in midfield. Youssouf Fofana was less secure, with Samuele Ricci and Ruben Loftus-Cheek waiting behind him.
The reporting around Milan’s possible lineup is still only that: reporting. AC Milan said that publishing the news in its daily press review did not mean it was endorsing or confirming the truthfulness of the information. Even so, the clues pointed in one direction, especially with Gimenez expected to have a place in the team and the final training session on Friday set to settle the rest.
Udinese arrive with a small historical note of their own. Saturday will be the third time they face Modrić, according to Messaggero Veneto, and the midfielder has already seen them before, back on 23 October 2008 in Tottenham’s 2-0 Coppa UEFA win. Milan also has recent success in the fixture, having beaten Udinese 3-0 at the Friuli-Bluenergy Stadium on 20 September of the previous year. What happens on Saturday may turn on whether Allegri wants the game controlled with two forwards or opened up with three.
