AC Milan welcome Benfica with full squad available for Europa League opener

AC Milan host Benfica on Wednesday in the opening round of the Europa League league phase, with the Italian side able to call on a full squad. The Portuguese visitors, in contrast, will be without defender Alexander Bah after he suffered another injury.

Both teams are preparing for a closely watched early-season meeting, with several notable attacking players expected to feature.

AC Milan team news

All AC Milan players are available this week, including Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modric and goalkeeper Mike Maignan. New attacking signing Goncalo Ramos is also expected to be involved.

Diego Moreira will be one to watch after scoring twice last weekend, while young prospect Alphadjo Cisse has already found the net twice this season.

The likely AC Milan line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan

Defenders: Strahinja Pavlovic, Koni De Winter, Davide Bartesaghi

Midfielders: Pervis Estupinan, Alexis Saelemaekers, Yunus Musah, Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot, Diego Moreira

Forward: Goncalo Ramos

Benfica’s expected line-up

Benfica will have to cope without Alexander Bah, who is unavailable because of a fresh injury. They can nevertheless rely on an attacking partnership that has been particularly productive since the start of the season.

Prestianni and Vangelis Pavlidis have scored regularly, while Andreas Schjelderup is another player capable of posing a threat. Clement Lenglet and Palhinha have also settled into the team quickly.

The likely Benfica line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Soares

Defenders: Daniel Banjaqui, Araujo, Clement Lenglet, Dahl

Midfielders: Palhinha, Barreiro, Rafa Silva, Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup

Forward: Vangelis Pavlidis

The match will be AC Milan’s first fixture in the league phase of this season’s Europa League, with Benfica providing the opposition on Wednesday.

The prices listed by 1xbet make AC Milan the favourites at 2.10. A draw is valued at 3.50, while a Benfica victory is priced at 3.18.