Stefano Pioli’s Milan are hoping to get their first taste of European victory this season in their Champions League battle with Dinamo Zagreb this evening.
The match between the Rossoneri and the Modri kicks off at 17.45 UK time at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.
Milan kicked off their Champions League campaign with a tough 1-1 draw away to RB Salzburg last week. It was a tough affair for Pioli’s side, who saw more of the ball but took less shots than their Austrian opponents. They’ll be looking to pick up an important three points against Dinamo Zagreb as they compete with Chelsea for the top spots in Group E.
Dinamo Zagreb pulled off the impossible last week, beating Chelsea 1-0 at home. Blues coach Thomas Tuchel was dismissed less than 24 hours after this defeat, and whilst the decision was likely made long beforehand, Pioli will be hoping to avoid suffering the same pitfalls as his German counterpart.
The Rossoneri are without Divock Origi, Ante Rebic, Alessandro Florenzi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the match, severely limiting Pioli’s options up front. Veteran Olivier Giroud will have to lead the line again, proving his importance after arriving for only €1m last year.
Dinamo Zagreb have a healthy and motivated squad heading into their clash with Milan, giving coach Ante Cacic flexibility as he looks to pull off another upset.
Probable line-ups for Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Leao; Giroud.
Dinamo Zagreb (3-5-2): Livakovic; Ristovski, Sutalo, Peric; Moharrami, Ristovski, Misic, Ademi, Ljubicic; Petkovic, Orsic.
4-0 to Milan
4-0 is over optimistic.
Their two strikers Petkovic and Orsic looked great against Chelsea, while they were very organized in defense. Impressive stuff.
A win is fundamental for us.
Dinamo will be no pushover. Saelemaekers and Diaz will need to push and track back, obviously Leao won’t. Prefer Giroud up front too, proper CF needed here and he’s fit enough to go again against Napoli.
Lets not forget this team beat Chelsea ! I know they may not be at their best but still a quality side. A win would give us a leg up but not decisive.