AC Milan Make Major Changes for Europa League Clash at Salzburg

RB Salzburg vs Milan

AC Milan will travel to Salzburg needing a response in the Europa League after their campaign began with a 2-0 home defeat against Benfica, while head coach Ruben Amorim has chosen to make major changes to his starting XI. The decision comes as Milan prepare for a demanding fixture at the Red Bull Arena under pressure to collect points in Europe.

Amorim has rested several established players and handed season debuts to important members of his squad. The changes reflect Milan’s need to balance their European ambitions with an upcoming Serie A fixture against Atalanta this weekend.

Amorim makes major changes

Francesco Camarda will make his first start of the season in attack for Milan. He will be supported by Alphadjo Cisse, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Omari Hutchinson, while Luka Modric and Goncalo Ramos have been rested.

Fikayo Tomori also returns to the starting line-up for his first appearance of the campaign. The defender had previously been frozen out during the summer transfer window, but Amorim has brought him back into the squad for the Salzburg fixture.

Milan are set up with a flexible three-man defence consisting of Tomori, Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic. The shape places Tomori directly into a changed defensive structure as Milan attempt to manage the demands of the European fixture.

The full Milan line-up is Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Hutchinson, Jashari, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Loftus-Cheek, Cisse; and Camarda. The formation is listed as 3-4-2-1.

The rotation comes with Milan already facing a growing injury list. Amorim must therefore manage squad fatigue while also trying to avoid a second difficult result in the Europa League.

Salzburg arrive with momentum

Salzburg enter the fixture after beating Levski Sofia 1-0 in their opening group game. Haris Tabakovic scored the goal that decided the match, giving the Austrian side a positive start to its European campaign.

The hosts have remained unbeaten across their five UEFA matches this season, recording four wins and one draw. They have also kept three consecutive clean sheets.

Goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky has recovered from an adductor issue and is set to start for Salzburg. The team also includes Jesper Lindstrom, a winger owned by Napoli.

Salzburg’s listed line-up is Zawieschitzky; Morgalla, Boma, Zabransky, Schmid; Barry, Mazurek; Lindstrom, Kitano, Baidoo; and Tabakovic. The formation is listed as 4-2-3-1.

Despite Salzburg’s recent form, they have not won consecutive major European games since October 2021. They also last won consecutive major European matches while keeping a clean sheet in each game in October 2017.

The Austrian club are competing in the Europa League after missing out on the Champions League last season. Amorim has nevertheless asked his players to approach the fixture as if they were playing in the Champions League.

Milan’s European record offers some encouragement

Milan have won nine of their 13 major European matches against Austrian sides. Their most recent meeting with Salzburg before this fixture was a 4-0 victory in the Champions League in November 2022.

The overall head-to-head record also favours Milan. The clubs have met four times previously in European competition, with Milan recording three victories and one draw.

Salzburg have never beaten Milan in their four previous major European encounters. All four of those meetings came in the Champions League, with Salzburg’s record standing at one draw and three defeats.

The record against Milan is part of a wider European pattern for Salzburg. Milan are one of three teams Salzburg have faced four times in major European competition without defeating, alongside Bayern Munich, against whom Salzburg have a record of one draw and three defeats, and Inter, against whom they have lost all four meetings.

That history gives Milan a favourable statistical record before the game, but their immediate European position remains difficult. The defeat by Benfica means they are searching for points after just one group match.

Pressure grows around Amorim

Amorim has had a mixed start to his time in charge of Milan. The team are unbeaten in their first six Serie A matches, but they have drawn three of their last four league outings.

Their European form has been less convincing. Milan lost 2-0 at home to Benfica in their opening Europa League fixture, and their next European match takes them to Salzburg.

Amorim has now lost each of his last two Europa League matches. That is the same number of defeats he suffered across his previous 21 matches in the competition, during which he recorded 12 wins and seven draws.

The results have created growing pressure around the former Manchester United boss. Amorim, however, said he was not allowing the attention outside the club to distract him from his work.

“I don't read papers or watch TV, so that I can focus on my work,” Amorim told Sky Italia, as quoted by Football Italia. “We are at the start of something. Obviously, we want to win more games and have more points.”

“In regard to the rest, it's normal at a big club.” Amorim added, “Every project needs time, but nowadays with football media it is impossible to have a lot of time, so it is necessary to win games.”

He also said: “I am not worried about that, I am focused on winning games, everything else that happens around that is not a concern.”

A demanding test at the Red Bull Arena

The fixture places two contrasting situations alongside each other. Milan are trying to recover from a home defeat in Europe and have rotated their line-up, while Salzburg arrive after a win over Levski Sofia and a run of five unbeaten UEFA matches.

Amorim has described Salzburg as technically good and warned his players that the game would demand both physical preparation and discipline. “It is always the Champions League, everything is important, every detail, every match is important and difficult,” he said.

“Salzburg are good technically, so we need to be strong on the runs, physically prepared and play our game,” Amorim added. His comments underline the importance Milan are placing on the fixture despite their heavy rotation.

The Italian side’s selection combines returning experience with younger players and new attacking responsibilities. Camarda’s first start of the season, Tomori’s return and the absence of rested names such as Modric and Ramos are the clearest signs of Amorim’s reshaped team.

For Salzburg, Tabakovic leads a side that already has a clean-sheet run and an opening European victory behind it. For Milan, the task is to turn their strong historical record against Austrian opposition and Salzburg into a result that repairs the damage from the defeat to Benfica.

The match therefore carries significance for both teams. Salzburg are seeking to build on their opening win, while Milan need their rotated squad to deliver a positive European result without losing sight of the Serie A fixture against Atalanta this weekend.