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AC Milan are yet to lose a single game since their opening day defeat to Napoli, a six-game span that saw them win three games whilst drawing the other three. Coach Gennaro Gattuso will be keen on maintaining his side’s solidity when they face Greek Super League giants Olympiacos at the San Siro on Thursday.
Fans were left astonished when the Rossoneri registered a shocking win over high-flying US Sassuolo last weekend. Suso starred for the Italian giants in dismantling a lacklustre Sassuolo defence, scoring two goals in the second half. However, it’s the defence that will be the main cause for concern for Gattuso, with Milan often conceding needless goals throughout the course of this season.In fact, Milan’s only clean sheet of the campaign came against lowly Dudelange in their opening Europa League fixture and given Gattuso’s demanding expectations from his players, keeping a clean sheet against the sharp Olympiacos attack could be imperative this week.
Speaking of Olympiacos, they tasted their first defeat of the campaign against PAOK last weekend when Jagos Vukovic’s unfortunate own goal proving to be the only difference between the two sides. Unlike Milan, however, the Greek giants are known for their sturdy defence underlined by the fact that they have already kept six clean sheets in all competitions this season.
Although their opening group game against Real Betis ended in a draw, the Red and Whites are more than capable of beating Milan this week and given their excellent form this campaign, they will be confident of their chances of overcoming the Rossoneri.
The Hard Tackle will run the rule over both the sides before their fascinating clash on Thursday evening.Gennaro Gattuso will stick to his 4-3-3 formation following its success in recent matches while not many changes are expected either from the side that won against Sassuolo.
Defender Ignazio Abate was given the nod over Davide Calabria and was later subbed off in the final minute of the game, hinting that the veteran right-back could retain his place in the starting lineup this week. Ricardo Rodriguez will likely start on the opposite flank, ahead of Uruguayan international Diego Laxalt.
Gattuso will stick to his customary defensive partnership of Mateo Musacchio and club captain Alessio Romagnoli in central defence with Gianluigi Donnarumma starting in between the sticks for AC Milan.
The return of star striker Gonzalo Higuain will be a huge boost for the hosts this week after the Argentine missed the last couple of matches with a muscular problem. He will replace Samu Castillejo as the lone forward up front even though the Spaniard scored in the win over Sassuolo last weekend.Higuain will be partnered by the attacking duo of Suso and Hakan Calhanoglu. Susu, in particular, will be one of the players worth keeping an eye on this week, having plundered two goals in the win over Sassuolo.
In midfield, Gattuso is likely to resort to his similar three-man midfield setup led
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