Paulo Fonseca begins his reign at AC Milan when his men take on Torino. The Portuguese manager will aim for a winning start at San Siro.
One victory in nine games at the back end of last season saw calls for Stefano Pioli to leave, and the Italian left AC Milan, who face Torino this weekend, during the summer. There was a feeling the side had regressed steadily since winning the Serie A title two years ago, with Paulo Fonseca taking over the reins at San Siro.
The Portuguese manager had an impressive season with LOSC Lille in Ligue 1, keeping the most clean sheets and scoring the second-most goals in France. His appointment was carefully carried out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who now sits upstairs at San Siro.
Ibrahimovic has a big task to revive AC Milan, make them challenger material again, and probably compete with the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus once again. Fonseca begins his reign as the AC Milan at San Siro against a Torino side that has struggled at this venue for nearly 30 years.
To be precise, Torino last beat AC Milan away from home in March 1985, meaning new manager Paolo Vanoli has a big task on his hands. The former Antonio Conte assistant takes charge of the Granata from Ivan Juric, who had a bitter split with the club at the end of his reign.
Torino narrowly missed out on European football last season, and while keeping 18 clean sheets did not help, Vanoli will hope to keep the standards intact. A finish inside the top ten is considered an achievable objective for an essentially stable team. Should the new boss achieve the unthinkable and take three points at the San Siro, it could set the Granata up for a good season ahead.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
There has been plenty of transfer activity in the corridors of San Siro. AC Milan have successfully replaced veteran star Olivier Giroud with Spain captain Alvaro Morata. The experienced striker will likely start at the tip of the AC Milan attack against Torino, while the rest of the setup is likely to have a familiar look.
After warding off transfer rumours, Malick Thiaw will partner Englishman Fikayo Tomori at the heart of the defence, with Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez preferred in the full-back roles. New signing Emerson Royal will likely have to contend for a place on the bench, as the long-term absence of Alessandro Florenzi does provide the former Tottenham man with a platform to battle Calabria for a place in the lineup.
Tijjani Reijnders and Ismael Bennacer are expected to form a central midfield partnership, while Rafael Leao, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic are set to feature in the frontline. The latter is expected to overcome an ankle problem that saw him miss the Trofeo Berlusconi and start against Torino.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez; Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Morata
Torino
Torino might have wanted to keep hold of their star defender Alessandro Buogiorno this summer but could prevent the Italian international from joining Napoli. They have since added Saul Coco and Adam Masina from Las Palmas and Udinese to their squad.
Mergim Vojvoda will form a three-man defence at the back alongside Coco and Masina. With Perr Schurrs still absent and yet to fully recover from his ACL injury sustained last season, their current setup with the trio looks sure to play together for the foreseeable future.
Raoul Bellanova and Valentino Lazaro are likely to occupy a wider role in the side on either flank. Sandwiched between them is the midfield trio of Samuele Ricci, Karol Linetty and Ivan Ilic. Up front, new signing Che Adams will line up alongside skipper Duvan Zapata in a front-two setup.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Coco, Masina; Bellanova, Ricci, Linetty, Ilic, Lazaro; Adams, Zapata.
Key Stats
- AC Milan have won their last four Serie A opening games.
- AC Milan have not lost to Torino on hom e turk in 28 attempts.
- Torino last beat AC Milan away from home back in March 1985.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Torino’s last 3 games in Serie A.
Player to Watch
Alvaro Morata
Morata makes yet another big transfer in his well-travelled career, returning to the familiar territory of Italy. He has previously featured for Juventus in two separate spells and now has the chance to shine for AC Milan as he replaces veteran striker Giroud.
Those are big shoes to fill for the Spain captain, with the Frenchman proving rather prolific during his spell at San Siro. Morata will be eager to get going in a Milan shirt, and he could instantly win over the fans with a scoring start to life in his new surroundings.
Prediction
AC Milan 2-0 Torino
Torino have a decent and stable squad that Ivan Juric left behind, but Paolo Vanoli has made some key changes since he came over. They have lost a key man in Alessandro Buongirono, which could make them vulnerable at the back.
Meanwhile, AC Milan are essentially unchanged, while some argue they have upgraded on Olivier Giroud with Alvaro Morata. There is a bit of fresh air in the squad of hungry players, who will want to start the season on a winning note, as AC Milan are expected to beat Torino and even keep a clean sheet.
