AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca is expected to make some changes to the side that will face Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night, according to a report.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Leverkusen might be just a two-hour plane ride from Milan but it will feel like it is on a different planet compared to Friday’s game against Lecce, in terms of their style of play and the quality they have.
Fonseca already paid homage to Xabi Alonso after the win over Lecce the and in the next few hours he will be thinking about what team to send onto the pitch on Tuesday in Germany. The decision will be made on Monday, but some things can already be predicted.
Strahinja Pavlovic, for example, remained on the bench against Inter and Lecce, and he will return to the starting lineup unless there are any surprises. Fikayo Tomori could make way for him, given how good Matteo Gabbia has been.
On Friday Fonseca wanted to give continuity to the team that won the derby. He brought off Morata, Pulisic and Fofana in the 63rd minute, then Theo Hernandez about ten minutes later, yet some starters will have to rest because after Leverkusen there is a tough trip to Fiorentina.
The subs were a way to preserve the key men and have them fresher on Tuesday (for this reason, scoring three goals in the first half was fundamental). Morata will have to monitor the evolution of the bursitis in his right knee but he seems fine.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek lost his place in the team with the pre-derby changes. He hit the crossbar against Lecce but his impact, compared to the past season, is lower. The most important decision that Fonseca will have to make will be about him, without forgetting Yunus Musah who is an alternative.
RLC could play as an atypical attacking midfielder, like at the start of the season, taking a spot off one of the two forwards. Tammy Abraham has been a starter in the last three league games, so ideally he will get a rest at some point too.
