Milan restore Modric and Ramos as Amorim weighs Cisse selection dilemma
Ruben Amorim looks set to recall Luka Modric and Goncalo Ramos for Milan's home game against Maurizio Sarri's Atalanta, with teenager Alphadjo Cisse pushing for a start after his midweek hat-trick.
Ruben Amorim is expected to send out a near-full-strength Milan side against Atalanta on Sunday, restoring Luka Modric and Goncalo Ramos to the starting line-up after both were rested in the midweek Europa League win over RB Salzburg, according to Sky Sport Italia via Football Italia.
The timing matters. Milan's 4-0 victory in Austria came with a back three, but Amorim is set to revert to a back four for Serie A, with Mario Gila at right-back and either Diego Moreira or Pervis Estupinan occupying the left side.
Why the shape keeps changing week to week
Switching between a back three in Europe and a back four domestically is not unusual for a coach managing two competitions, but it says something about how Amorim views his squad's depth and the specific demands of each opponent. A back four against Atalanta allows Modric and Mike Maignan's defensive line more conventional cover against Sarri's wide players, while the back three used in Austria likely suited a younger, more direct group chasing goals.
Milan go into the game unbeaten in Serie A after six rounds, with three wins and three draws for 12 points and sixth place, Football Italia reports. That record was dented only by a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo last weekend, a result that puts extra weight on finding a win at home before the international calendar resumes its usual rhythm.
Cisse's hat-trick complicates a straightforward recall
The return of Modric and Ramos would normally be a formality, but Alphadjo Cisse's three goals against Salzburg on Thursday have turned one attacking slot into a genuine decision. The 19-year-old scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 win, yet Football Italia's line-up reporting still has him starting ahead of Christian Pulisic in the probable XI, with Pulisic described as his direct competition for the role.
That tension is instructive. A teenager scoring three goals in a continental fixture would usually force a coach's hand, but Amorim's willingness to treat the Serie A XI as a separate selection exercise suggests he is not rushing to anoint Cisse as a guaranteed starter in the bigger domestic fixtures just yet. The probable Milan XI—Maignan; Gila, De Winter, Pavlovic, Moreira; Musa, Modric, Rabiot; Chukwueze, Ramos, Cisse—keeps him in the front three alongside Ramos, with Chukwueze completing the attacking trio in a 4-3-3.
Atalanta's midfield is shaped by absence, not choice
Sarri's selection on the other side is more straightforward, though for less happy reasons. Atalanta are without Franck Kessie and Giacomo Raspadori through injury, which leaves Ederson and Mario Pasalic as the expected central midfield pairing, Football Italia reports. That pairing sits behind an attacking line of Nikola Zalewski, Charles De Ketelaere and Jonathan Rowe, supporting Nikola Krstovic as the central striker in a 4-2-3-1.
The system contrast is worth noting. Where Amorim's Milan set up in a 4-3-3 with three central midfielders rotating possession, Sarri's 4-2-3-1 asks Ederson and Pasalic to cover more ground between the lines without the extra body Kessie would normally provide. Krstovic, who scored in Atalanta's 3-1 win over Venezia last weekend, becomes the focal point for a side that needs its front four to create enough without a settled double pivot behind them.
Atalanta arrive at San Siro having steadied themselves after a difficult stretch. The win over Venezia ended a run of three straight Serie A defeats before the international break, and La Dea followed it with a 3-1 victory over Pafos in the Conference League on Thursday night, mirroring Milan's own pattern of a midweek continental win sandwiched around domestic business. Even so, nine points from six league games leaves Sarri's side in tenth place, four points and four places behind their hosts.
That gap frames Sunday's meeting as a chance for Milan to open daylight on a side still finding its rhythm, and for Atalanta to prove their recent Serie A form was not a one-off against a struggling Venezia team. Kick-off at San Siro is scheduled for 17.00 BST.