AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca has named the starting line-up that his team will use against Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia, and he has gone for half-rotation.
Friday night’s game against Atalanta in Bergamo is arguably the biggest of the season so far, so the temptation will have been there to make big changes, especially against a team a division lower.
However, Fonseca admitted in his interview on the eve of the tie that he will be taking the Coppa Italia seriously, and that he still regards Sassuolo as a Serie A side given they are flying high.
The official starting line-upsMike Maignan and Theo Hernandez will both miss the game as the goalkeeper has undergone dental surgery, whereas Theo suffered a bruised foot at the weekend. Marco Sportiello and Filippo Terracciano take their respective places.
There are three other changes to the back four from the team that beat Empoli 3-0 with Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic all coming into the side. Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders remain unmoved as the double pivot, however.
There are changes in attack too with Samuel Chukwueze, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham all coming into the side, though Rafael Leao keeps his spot on the left side.
Official Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Terracciano; Fofana, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Abraham.
Bench: Torriani, Raveyre, Emerson, Gabbia, Thiaw, Jimenez, Musah, Pulisic, Okafor, Morata, Camarda.
Official Sassuolo XI (4-3-3): Satalino; Paz, Odenthal, Muharemović, Pieragnolo; Iannoni, Obiang, Caligara; Volpato, Mulattieri, Antiste.
Bench: Moldovan, A. Russo; Miranda, Missori, Toljan; Boloca, D’Andrea, Ghion, Kumi, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Laurienté, Moro, Pierini, F. Russo.
