Match Preview: Milan Looks to Ground Flying Donkeys in Midweek Encounter

After taking four of a possible six points from Torino and Sassuolo, Milan is looking to keep the momentum going with a win against a Chievo side coming off a narrow 1-0 loss to Napoli. With games against Lazio and Juventus on the horizon, Milan will be looking to bank some points against a beatable opponent at home.

Starting XIs

Injury Lists

Milan: Mario Balotelli, Jeremy Menez, M'Baye Niang

Chievo: Perparim Hetemaj, Mariano Izco, Federico Mattiello

Talking Points

Donnarumma Makes Second Consecutive Start

After making his debut on the weekend, Gianluigi Donnarumma is poised to make his second consecutive appearance for Milan against Chievo Wednesday. Sinisa Mihajlovic is putting a lot of faith in his 16-year-old prodigy, as he is playing behind a defence that has yet to record a clean sheet this season. It would've been easy for Mihajlovic to hand Donnarumma his first cap in order to send Diego Lopez a message, but starting young keeper for the second time in four days is a bold move. Donnarumma didn't see a lot of shots in his first game, and Milan's backline will want to continue that trend.

Familiar Faces Return Home

Valter Birsa and Alberto Paloschi are familiar names to Milan fans. Birsa is still owned by Milan, and as much as Milanisti will try to forget it, he actually played for Milan in the Champions League. The Slovenian trequartista is off to a great start in Serie A this season, with two goals and three assists in nine games. As Birsa goes, so does Chievo, and Milan can't allow Birsa to operate in space and pull the strings. Paloschi, who scored 16 seconds into his senior team debut at Milan, has cemented himself as a legitimate Serie A striker. Paloschi has scored 24 goals in the last two seasons, and has already banged in four this season. Paloschi only needs one opportunity to make you pay, so Milan will have to mark him tightly to ensure he doesn't come back to bite them.

4-3-3 Experiment Continues

After spending all summer preparing to play the 4-3-1-2, Mihajlovic has already abandoned the formation. For the third consecutive game, the 4-3-3 will be put to the test, and while it didn't convince in the first game, it looked much improved last Sunday. Bonaventura and Cerci provided an ample amount of width and dynamism, and Milan looked like a much more dangerous side going forward.  It will be fascinating to see how the 4-3-3 stacks up against a resolute defensive team like Chievo. With M'Baye Niang set to return within the next few games, Mihajlovic's 4-3-3 will be given more options, and another positive performance could mean the 4-3-3 is here to stay.