Official: Real Madrid vs. AC Milan starting XIs – four changes from Monza

AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca has named his starting line-up for the Champions League game against Real Madrid tonight.

It was known prior to the game that Milan’s absentees are Matteo Gabbia (calf), Alessandro Florenzi (knee), Ismael Bennacer (calf) and Luka Jovic (back, and not in the Champions League squad).

As was reported in the build-up, Fonseca has elected to go with a defensive line of Emerson Royal, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez ahead of Mike Maignan.

Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders will rather make up the midfield double pivot once again, with Yunus Musah also starting the game as well. Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Alvaro Morata are the three forwards.

The big question mark concerns whether the coach has gone for a 4-3-3 system with Musah-Fofana-Reijnders as a trio, or if it will be more of a 3-4-3 with the American as a right wing-back.

Official Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Pulisic, Leao; Morata.

Bench:

Official Real Madrid XI (4-4-2): Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Bellingham, Modric, Valverde, Camavinga; Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.

Bench: