Both Milan and Napoli are in the midst of an injury crisis and will be missing key players for this Sunday’s Serie A duel.
After a busy first half of the season, following a summer of international competition, multiple important players on both sides will be absent for the most exciting game of the weekend, a match that could be decisive in the fight for the Scudetto.
The Rossoneri will be without Pietro Pellegri, Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao for the match against Luciano Spalletti’s side on Sunday, with all three players suffering from muscle injuries.
French veteran Olivier Giroud is set to return from a muscle injury just in time for the match against the Partenopei, although it’s unlikely that he’ll start considering his lack of match fitness.
One solution that Pioli may choose is to start Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, ahead of an attacking trio of Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz and Alexis Saelemaekers, the same setup used in the 1-1 draw with Udinese on Saturday.
Should Pioli decide to change this forward line, then it’s possible that Junior Messias or Samu Castillejo could find themselves in the starting XI.
Daniel Maldini could also start, although this seems unlikely considering the importance of the match and the fact that he’s only started twice so far this campaign.
Things are looking a little dire in the Napoli camp as well, with at least four players expected to be out due to injury.
Kalidou Koulibaly is not expected to return to action until the New Year, recovering from a muscle injury, and Fabian Ruiz is also unavailable after suffering a tear in his abductor muscle.
Eljif Elmas and Piotr Zielinski are also set to miss the match against Milan, dealing with a bruised shin bone and bronchitis respectively.
Key forward Victor Osimhen’s presence is also in doubt after he suffered a cheekbone fracture last month, although he could play with a protective face mask on.