As Milan prepares to face Bologna twice in the space of five days, intrigue surrounds the first clash at the San Siro this Friday. While the fixture is officially part of the Serie A calendar, all eyes are drawn to its greater significance—a precursor to next week’s Coppa Italia final in Rome. Though there’s speculation about possible sweeping changes, manager Sergio Conceicao is expected to manage his squad with subtlety rather than a complete overhaul.
Despite murmurs of heavy rotation, the Portuguese boss is expected to field a competitive starting XI, with only minor adjustments aimed at balancing fitness and form. The Rossoneri enter this fixture on the back of three straight victories and four wins from their last five games, signaling a timely resurgence in form.
The tactical shift to a three-man defense has delivered dividends, with just two goals conceded and 11 scored in that period. However, their most recent win—a gritty 2-1 triumph away to Genoa—was hard-earned.
Vitinha opened the score, before Rafael Leao equalized and forced the winner via an own goal, assisted by Santiago Gimenez. But Leao will play no part on Friday, as the 25-year-old is suspended.
Rotation with purpose
The key question remains: which of Milan’s attacking stars will feature in the first act of this double-header? Despite earlier reports, the latest update now seems to suggest that Christian Pulisic will keep his place in the lineup, while Joao Felix will step in to replace the suspended Leao. That leaves Santiago Gimenez as the likely candidate to lead the line, getting a rare start after largely playing a backup role since March 15 against Como.
“There are only two selection dilemmas,” reported Sky Italia, “in defense between Thiaw and Gabbia, and in attack between Jovic and Gimenez.” Ultimately, it appears Gimenez is the favored choice, offering Conceicao a chance to evaluate his striker ahead of the final without risking Luka Jovic’s freshness.
The predicted XI, according to Calciomercato and La Gazzetta dello Sport, is a 3-4-2-1 formation: Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Loftus-Cheek, Reijnders, Theo Hernandez; Pulisic, Joao Felix; Gimenez.
Sky Italia’s journalist Gianluca Di Marzio echoed similar expectations, highlighting that Conceicao would avoid widespread rotation due to a combination of injuries and the competitive importance of the match.
