Milan hearts were broken midweek when we failed to qualify for the Round of 16 in the Champions League by the narrowest of margins. In the meantime, we are still literally licking our wounds, as we have so many players on the treatment table. Now the objective will be to get everyone healthy and dominate in the league. Udinese have been struggling and also had a big change this week, as they sacked Gotti and have appointed his assistant, Cioffi as interim manager. This game will be tricky for both teams during their transitions, in the meantime.
 |
| In the meantime, Castillejo could be back |
Udinese currently sit 14th on the table, with three wins, seven draws, and six losses. Their current form is L-D-D-L, with the most recent one a 3-1 loss to Empoli on Monday. For that match, Gotti lined up Silvestri; Pérez, De Maio, Smir, DestinyUdogie; Soppy, Arslan, Makengo, former Milan loanee Deulofeu; Beto and Success. In addition to the most obvious change in manager, Samir is disqualified for this one, and Peryra is injured, with Rodrigo Becao in doubt due to fitness issues.
 |
| An old friend |
In keeping with recent trends, Pioli's injury list includes seven players as of this writing. Kjaer, Plizzari, Rebić, Calabria, Pellegri, Giroud, and Leão are all out injured. The list might be longer, were it not for the fact that we are running out of players to be injured. There is good news, however, in that Castillejo is reported to be fit for this match, as of this writing. Pioli, on the other hand, skipped the press conference due to mild flu symptoms, so we'll see if he is on the bench.
Despite Milan being at the top of the table and Udinese struggling, this match may not be as straightforward as it seems. Milan players are traveling and are likely emotionally and physically exhausted after Wednesday's match. We desperately need to get more players healthy, but the squad will make do in the meantime.
This post inspired by the music of Jane Siberry's "It Can't Rain All the Time"