Milan must begin racking up the wins if they are to target European qualification and visit Zdenek Zeman’s Pescara in crisis.
It kicks off at the Stadio Adriatico at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), follow the build-up and action from all today’s Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
Vincenzo Montella’s Rossoneri had started the season strongly, but somewhat lost their way amid the chaos of postponed takeovers and injury problems.
Milan must begin racking up the wins if they are to target European qualification and visit Zdenek Zeman’s Pescara in crisis.
It kicks off at the Stadio Adriatico at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), follow the build-up and action from all today’s Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
Vincenzo Montella’s Rossoneri had started the season strongly, but somewhat lost their way amid the chaos of postponed takeovers and injury problems.
They’re getting back on track now and the pressure is on, as they make this trip without Suso, Andrea Bertolacci, Ignazio Abate, Giacomo Bonaventura and Riccardo Montolivo.
Davide Calabria starts at right-back, as Mattia De Sciglio returned tired from international duty.
Gerard Deulofeu’s confidence is sky high, as last week he made his comeback to the Spain squad, coming off the bench against France to earn a penalty and score a goal in their 2-0 win.
Here he completes the trident attack with Carlos Bacca and Lucas Ocampos, but Gianluca Lapadula is sure to get some time on the pitch against the club he helped earn promotion last season.
Lapadula scored 30 goals and provided 12 assists in 44 Serie B games, including the promotion play-offs.
Pescara have been in freefall all season, save for a single 5-0 victory on Zeman’s debut after taking over from sacked Massimo Oddo.
The new Coach confessed this weekend that they “don’t play like a team,” so we’ll see if anything has changed over the break for international duty.
Andrea Coda, Davide Vitturini, Alberto Gilardino, Simone Pepe and Guglielmo Stendardo miss out, but Sulley Muntari gets to face his former club.
Zeman gives his first start to astonishing 18-year-old Mamadou Coulibaly, who came from Senegal to Italy on a refugee boat in December 2015, was homeless for a while and then spotted by Pescara talent scouts while playing football with friends from his foster family.
Vincenzo Fiorillo is given the nod in goal rather than veteran Albano Bizzarri.
The last time Pescara beat Milan was a 2-1 Serie B result in 1981, followed by 11 consecutive defeats, home and away in all competition.
Pescara: Fiorillo; Zampano, Bovo, Campagnaro, Biraghi; Memushaj, Muntari, Coulibaly; Benali, Bahebeck, Caprari
Milan: Donnarumma; Calabria, Paletta, Romagnoli, Vangioni; Pasalic, Sosa, Mati Fernandez; Deulofeu, Bacca, Ocampos