AC Milan predicted lineup for 2023-24 season

The Rossoneri's tactical approach and formations for the upcoming campaign

AC Milan will head into the new season with hopes of winning the Serie A and making it into the later stages of the Champions League. Stefano Pioli will look to make the best of the squad that he currently has, he will look to bring back glory to San Siro Stadium.

AC Milan has added some new players this summer transfer window, Christian Pulisic is one of them, he recently joined them from Chelsea after failing to make it into the Playing XI of the North London club. Players like Loftus-Cheek also joined the club, he will join his old teammate.

With their new signings, their predicted playing XI will somewhat look like this:

Goalkeeper- Mike Maignan

Magic Mike make seemingly impossible saves. If you add his great distribution and his leadership, you get one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and at his age there is much more to come from him. The 28-year-old has a huge campaign coming up for him, he recently replaced Hugo Lloris who retired from Les Bleus in January. Mike Maignan was decisive in Milan's title-winning 2021-22 and in their great Champions League run last season.

Right-back- Davide Calabria

Davide Calabria is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for, and captains AC Milan. Calabria has certainly improved mentally and is now able to offer more stability to his performances. Since Donnarumma’s departure, he has been the symbol of the academy in the first team.

His defensive effort has almost always been on top, but now he has added other traits to his game like scoring goals and providing assists to his teammates, he possesses great determination which makes him one of the best right-backs in the Serie A.

Centre-back- Malick Thiaw

 Thiaw is mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right back and defensive midfielder. The German defender arrived from Schalke 04 as an alternative to Sven Botman, and has made his way to the defensive back four.

Thiaw’s frame is wide, his legs rangy and long, and his wingspan impressive, all of this contributes to the German’s overwhelming presence. His leap is impressive; it enables him to spring higher than opponents to win the header. 

Centre-back- Fikayo Tomori

Tomori swapped Chelsea for Milan in 2021 and has enjoyed a sensational few years in Serie A, winning the league title in 2021-22 and helping to steer the Rossoneri to the semi-final of last season's Champions League. The former Chelsea defender is loved by AC Milan and footballing icon Paolo Maldini and has already followed in the footsteps of Thiago Silva, he is considered to be one of the best defenders in Italy.

Left-back- Theo Hernandez

Theo Hernandez extended his contract with Rossoneri in February, quadrupling his wages in the process, he is now tied to the Italian side until the summer of 2026. Hernandez comes from a family of footballers. His father Jean-Francois was a defender who played for Atletico Madrid, additionally, Hernandez's elder brother Lucas Hernandez is also a famous footballer. He has been a standout performer for the Rossoneri, scoring 18 goals and providing 17 assists in 125 Serie A appearances.

Defensive midfielder- Ismael Bennacer

Ismael Bennacer is an outstanding deep-lying midfielder with high-level mobility under pressure and impressive dexterity in tight spaces. Bennacer's strength is evidently his ability to pass the ball around. Even though he suffered an injury recently, he is till approached by clubs from around the world. Manchester United and clubs from Saudi Arabia are looking to sign the Algerian midfielder from AC Milan.

Centre- midfield- Ruben Loftus-Cheek

At AC Milan, Loftus-Cheek will once again be teammates with Fikayo Tomori, with whom he shares great memories from his youth days at Chelsea. They together won the 2014-15 UEFA Youth League. The English midfielder joined AC Milan from Chelsea and is ready to wear the jersey for the upcoming seasons. Given the talent pool of midfielders available at Milan with the departure of Tonali, Milan need to settle the midfield in the pre season to get ready for the season.

Centre-midfield- Tijjani Reijnders

Reijnders is a typical all-action midfielder, characterised by his intelligence on and off the ball, he is the fifth signing for AC Milan this season. He keeps his game very simple and rarely tries anything that can put his team in trouble, he loves one-two combinations and has amazing balance on the ball and a great first touch which allows him to dribble past opponents in a very flawless and effective way.

The Dutchman is very effective in the final third thanks to his quick thinking and great decision making as he is capable of a wide range of passes in and around the opponent’s box. He also possesses great energy off the ball in the middle of the park.

Left-wing- Rafael Leao

Leao is known for his pace, dribbling skills, and finishing ability. He is also versatile and can play as a centre-forward or on the wing. His ability to play in multiple positions makes him a valuable asset for any team. 

Overall, Leao is a talented forward with the potential to become one of Europe's top players and brings back memories of players such as former AC Milan winger Ronaldinho with his flair and dribbling skills. He has the fastest goal ever scored in the history of the top five European leagues, let alone in Italian football, his header in 6.2 seconds from kickoff against Sassuolo in 2020 is the fastest goal.

Striker- Noah Okafor

Milan fans and the management got an up-close look at the 23-year-old last season as he scored in the Champions League meeting in Salzburg. Okafor’s best abilities come with his dribbling abilities and his ability to take people on. 

Whether it is finding the right position in the box or making runs into space to help out a team-mate, Okafor has good off the ball runs and spatial runs making him a valuable asset to have in tight spaces. Pioli has always wanted players Okafor in his squad.

Right-wing- Samuel Chukwueze 

Milan recently announced the signing of Chukwueze from Villareal, he signed a contract until 2028, Milan bought one of the best pure dribblers on the planet, Chukwueze attempted ​​171 dribbles last season in LaLiga and 88 of them were successful, putting him sixth among all players in the top five European leagues.

With Leao on one side and Chukwueze on the other, they could cause headaches for defenders who don’t know who and when to double. Leao and Chukwueze as a pair rank above Kvara-Lozano, Barella-Lautaro, Pellegrini-Zalewski, Zaccagni-Felipe Anderson and Chiesa-Rabiot when it comes to combined dribbles.