TEAM NEWS:
Milan are without defender Mario Yepes, who is expected to be missing for 10 weeks with a damaged ankle. Milan are also without Gianluca Zambrotta and Alessandro Nesta.

Siena have no major injury worries with strikers Emanuele Calaio and Mattia Destro set to continue up front.

MATCH STATS:
AC Milan and Siena have met 14 times in Serie A, with the Tuscans winning just once (2-1 at home in April 2005); the Rossoneri have won 11, including each of the last five meetings.

AC Milan have failed to score against Siena just once in Serie A (a goalless draw back in October 2006).

That was the only game AC Milan have failed to win at home against Siena; six wins for the Rossoneri complete the record.

Siena have never scored more than a single goal at AC Milan’s ground.

Last Sunday’s 2-2 draw in Bologna extended AC Milan’s unbeaten run to nine games (seven wins and two draws).

At home, Massimiliano Allegri’s side remain unbeaten in 2011 (17 games), and have won their last five at the San Siro conceding overall just one goal.

AC Milan have scored exactly four goals in each of their last three home games.

The Rossoneri boast the best attack of this competition (31 goals).

This season AC Milan have won just one of the six games in which Alexandre Pato has played (17%), but have won seven of the eight in which the Brazilian hasn’t featured (88%).

Siena have lost their last three league games without scoring a single goal.

Away from home, their last win was back in February (a run of 13 games).

So, our back-line against Siena should look like this:

That's worrying. Up to Silva to organise it and keep everyone in place. I'd have Mexes in there alongside him and switch Bonera to right back

Oh god, it can't get any worse, does it?

Thank god it's only Siena at the San Siro.

Still need the three points though so you still try and put your strongest team as possible out. One slip up against Siena or Cagliari and could be looking at a 5 point gap to Juve heading to the break

Yup, and then there is the issue of your first match since joining the forum. We need to win this!

Thank god it's only Siena at the San Siro.

We played dreadful against Bologna, so I'm not confident even if it is only Siena.

I know. My point is that it's better it happened against Siena than against Napoli or Juve, as acid said.

No blaming me if it goes belly up mind

I know. My point is that it's better it happened against Siena than against Napoli or Juve, as acid said.

We played dreadful against Bologna, so I'm not confident even if it is only Siena.

The problems against Bologna were mostly sparked from the mentality in which the game was approached with

And from the Seedorf-MvB-Aquilani suicidal midfield.

I don't think that's much to do with it at all. That's a very basic midfield set-up which is deployed by most top sides. Imo we should be playing a more versatile midfield than 2 DMs and a single playmaker, like any other top side would. Having Boateng in the midfield 3 would have made more sense, but Allegri is hard headed, so the day we'll see Boateng moved permanently into his natural position is the day I walk on walter

In games like this, we should be able to go a more attacking and dynamic route, thus meaning removing the extra DM.

What was upsetting to see on my part was the complete lack of effort from the team. Just completely lathargic as if we've already won it without having to lift a finger. That is the attitude that has gotten us into big trouble in the past. In an other reality that midfield should have had no problem cutting through Bologna, but like usual we made a meal of it because the players simply couldn't care less and were expecting the win to be gifted to them, mind you, the ref almost tried to do just that

Poor fella bit harsh on good old Walter

I don't think that's much to do with it at all. That's a very basic midfield set-up which is deployed by most top sides. Imo we should be playing a more versatile midfield than 2 DMs and a single playmaker, like any other top side would. Having Boateng in the midfield 3 would have made more sense, but Allegri is hard headed, so the day we'll see Boateng moved permanently into his natural position is the day I walk on water

In games like this, we should be able to go a more attacking and dynamic route, thus meaning removing the extra DM.

What was upsetting to see on my part was the complete lack of effort from the team. Just completely lathargic as if we've already won it without having to lift a finger. That is the attitude that has gotten us into big trouble in the past. In an other reality that midfield should have had no problem cutting through Bologna, but like usual we made a meal of it because the players simply couldn't care less and were expecting the win to be gifted to them, mind you, the ref almost tried to do just that

I don't think that's much to do with it at all. That's a very basic midfield set-up which is deployed by most top sides. Imo we should be playing a more versatile midfield than 2 DMs and a single playmaker, like any other top side would. Having Boateng in the midfield 3 would have made more sense, but Allegri is hard headed, so the day we'll see Boateng moved permanently into his natural position is the day I walk on water

In games like this, we should be able to go a more attacking and dynamic route, thus meaning removing the extra DM.

It's not much about the set-up rather than who the interpreters are, i.e. two 35-y-o's and someone like Aquilani who's not good defensively. I think Nocerino is crucial to our game, because he adds that something which a guy like Seedorf never will at his old age. The guy covers spaces, pressures the opponents, tracks back, is deadly at inserting from the defenders' backs and he's even pretty skilled. A complete midfielder IMO, someone we cannot make do without.

Seedorf offers very little. He's excellent at possession and handling the ball, but the guy fails at everything else. He'd be alright I guess if we had someone like De Rossi alongside Nocerino that would cover his back. But playing him, Aquilani and Van Bommel, especially against a team like Barcelona, is out of this world. I still haven't figured out what Allegri was thinking there.

Acid look, your long lost soulmate!! Another spelling nazi

It's not much about the set-up rather than who the interpreters are, i.e. two 35-y-o's and someone like Aquilani who's not good defensively. I think Nocerino is crucial to our game, because he adds that something which a guy like Seedorf never will at his old age. The guy covers spaces, pressures the opponents, tracks back, is deadly at inserting from the defenders' backs and he's even pretty skilled. A complete midfielder IMO, someone we cannot make do without.

Seedorf offers very little. He's excellent at possession and handling the ball, but the guy fails at everything else. He'd be alright I guess if we had someone like De Rossi alongside Nocerino that would cover his back. But playing him, Aquilani and Van Bommel, especially against a team like Barcelona, is out of this world. I still haven't figured out what Allegri was thinking there.

Na, he's more of a Walter Payton fan. There is only one grammear police, and that's me!

Not much of a police there are we...

I'd have Mexes in there alongside him and switch Bonera to right back

I'd rather have a kid playing on the right then Bonera. But well, we knew all along it will be Bonera.

I agree about Nocerino.

That being said, this is Bologna/Siena, not Barcelona. The difference there is immense. Seedorf was one of the few who did some decent stuff last weekend, so I don't get how he's coming into it just because of his age. If we really want to criticise, than Boateng, Aquilani, etc were worse than Seedorf and they're a lot younger than him. Age is not the issue, Seedorf can control the midfield without even really trying on his day, no matter how old he is. The attitude was still the biggest problem, Nocerino is great at giving that something extra but he wouldn't have made the difference if the other 10 players around him could barely give a sh!t.

That might happen. http://www.milannews.it/?action=read&idnotizia=68543

I'm not criticizing Seedorf per se. He did have a decent game after all, and it's alright to play him against the Bologna's and Cesena's every once in a while. However, we cannot play him alongside Van Bommel and Aquilani. Barcelona or Bologna, that still leaves us vulnerable to attacks. Especially if we consider that Yepes/Bonera and Antonini were playing as well.

Agreed, that's exactly what I think. Fingers crossed he comes on when 30 minutes remain in both matches against Arsenal. That's when he will be fresh and can take on the boys from London. Against Bolognas and Cesenas he can still cut it. It's in the high intensity matches that I have issues with the man.

It's the most logical way to go.

Yup.

By the way, it looks like Amelia will play tonight and not Roma. Things starting to look a bit better.

Better? Last time Amelia messed up, and did also in other preformances for Milan, unlike Roma, who I can remember only making good to excellent preformances. Unsure Amelia should start over Roma.

Amelia, Bonera, Mexes, T.Silva, Taiwo, Seedorf, Van Bommel, Nocerino, Boateng, Ibra, Robinho.

Don't understand why he dropped Pato and Aquilani... So Robinho could miss another sitter from a yard out?

Pato needs some bench time. It'll do good to him.