Youthful energy and important experience: The five key battles in RB Salzburg vs. Milan
AC Milan’s Europa League campaign resumes with a very tricky game on paper: a trip to Austria, to face Red Bull Salzburg.
Milan have actually met RB Salzburg before, albeit in the more prestigious Champions League in 2022-23, en-route to a semi-final run. A lot has changed in the four years since though, and Die Roten Bullen have begun the current campaign unbeaten in 15 under new coach Danny Röhl.
There is a bit of pressure on the Rossoneri to get a positive result, and not just because of the defeat against Benfica to begin the European campaign in a bad way. The 1-1 draw versus Sassuolo at the weekend has reignited some doubts, ones that Ruben Amorim hopes to put to bed.
RB Salzburg vs. AC Milan: The five key battles
Despite what is riding on this game – which is the second in a run of seven inside 21 days – it seems that Amorim is happy to rotate quite heavily. A youthful staring line-up is expected, giving chance to some who have been waiting patiently until now.
The first battle of note comes in the midfield, where Abubakr Barry will come up against Adrien Rabiot. The Gambia international has started all but one of RB Salzburg’s games this season and is very much the legs and the physicality in the double pivot in Röhl’s trademark 4-2-3-1 system. He also has a couple of assists, too.
Rabiot meanwhile is the joint-top scorer for Milan and has been a stand-out performer early in Amorim’s tenure. He opened the scoring vs. Sassuolo, though bizarrely reports after the game claimed owner Gerry Cardinale was not satisfied with his performance. So, the Frenchman can send a message to the USA tonight.
It is impossible to circumvent the magnitude of the opportunity that awaits Francesco Camarda. It is 100 weeks since his last start for Milan, which came away from home against Cagliari, and he has had just a handful of minutes so far this season.
It will be difficult for the teenager to get straight into match rhythm as a result, especially against an opponent like Kevin Boma. The 23-year-old Togo international will be up for the physical battle, and is one of many players to arrive at Salzburg in the summer.
At the other end, it seems that Haris Tabakovic will get the nod for the home side to lead the line over Karim Konato. The Bosnian has four goals to his name so far, and at 32 years of age he is one of the veterans in a young side, with previous experience at Hertha BSC, Hoffenheim and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The man anchoring Milan’s defence will once again be Koni De Winter. Matteo Gabbia’s serious injury has added to the responsibility on the young Belgian, but he has so far been up to the task and has generally grown with each passing week. Tonight is a new test for him though, against a very physical and experienced opponent.
Down the flanks, there will be an intriguing contest between Tim Drexler and Alphadjo Cisse. The German has played as a centre-back this season but is expected to get the nod at full-back this evening, and the 21-year-old has started in all five of his appearances to this point.
It has already been quite a strange season for Cisse just a few games in, after his explosion with goals against Torino and Juventus, then regression back towards more of a supporting role. The 19-year-old has another chance to show what he can do, and the feeling is that his goal threat cutting in onto that favoured right foot could be a big weapon in transition.
Finally, we end with a fascinating duel in the midfield, as Bartosz Mazurek and Ardon Jashari square off. Mazurek is already looking like another very astute signing from Salzburg, as the 19-year-old Pole has one goal and three assists to his name despite often operating alongside Barry in that deep-lying playmaker role in the midfield tandem.
His opposite number Jashari has had a peculiar campaign just like his debut season with the Rossoneri, being drip-fed minutes rather than getting regular game time. After a positive international break with Switzerland in which he regained some rhythm, could this be the night to earn the manager’s full trust?
