Maxi Lopez gets a rare Milan start alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the Rossoneri welcome Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic.
Maxi Lopez gets a rare Milan start alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the Rossoneri welcome Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic.
The Rossoneri’s lead at the top of the table has been whittled down to just two points, so they need a good result on Easter Saturday.
Their injury list remains huge with Alessandro Nesta, Djamel Mesbah and Luca Antonini joining Thiago Silva, Mark van Bommel, Clarence Seedorf, Alexandre Pato, Pippo Inzaghi, Rodney Strasser, Alexander Merkel and Mathieu Flamini.
Therefore Maxi Lopez gets a surprise start with Ibrahimovic and support from Urby Emanuelson. The defence is revamped by bringing in Daniele Bonera and Gianluca Zambrotta.
Antonio Cassano is on the bench for the first time since suffering a mini-stroke at the end of October and undergoing surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.
Fiorentina are in crisis and run the risk of relegation, as they have dropped to fourth-from-bottom.
Riccardo Montolivo and Alessio Cerci are suspended along with the sidelined Alessandro Gamberini, Juan Manuel Vargas, Mattia Cassani and Per Kroldrup.
Initially Amauri was named in the starting XI with Jovetic, but the line-up later changed with Ljajic picked instead of the ex-Juventus striker.
It looks as if the Viola have chosen a five-man defence including several young players.
Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Bonera, Mexes, Zambrotta; Nocerino, Ambrosini, Muntari; Emanuelson; Ibrahimovic, Maxi Lopez
Milan bench:Amelia, Gattuso, Aquilani, Robinho, Yepes, El Shaarawy, Cassano
Fiorentina: Boruc; De Silvestri, Camporese, Natali, Nastasic, Pasqual; Behrami, Kharja, Lazzari, Ljajic; Jovetic
Fiorentina bench: Neto, Felipe, Romulo, Salifu, Olivera, Marchionni, Amauri