AC MILAN v BORUSSIA DORTMUND: THE BRIEFING

One of the most important things in a great sporting competition is the ability to be a master of your own destiny. To know that your future depends on earning a certain result. This is what is at stake for both teams, in AC Milan v Borussia Dortmund. The current standings point to an advantage for the Germans, but the situation is clear: whoever walks away with three points will only need to rely on themselves to get a result in the final match on 13 December. A real crossroads, which we will try to decipher in our Briefing.

DEFEND WELL
This may seem paradoxical, in a match where both teams are in desperate need of a win. It is no paradox, however, as shown by the Rossoneri and Schwarz-Gelb's recent games. Pioli's team got their first clean sheet in over a month in the 1-0 victory over Fiorentina, and in AC Milan's case, it'll be especially important to keep concentration in the final minutes due to the unlikelihood of being able to rotate. The Tomori-Thiaw pairing will likely start again for their fifth consecutive start, which could also be a factor in managing the pace of what promises to be an evening of great intensity. At the other end is a team that tend to concede, despite the two clean sheets they managed against Newcastle. Dortmund have in fact conceded 11 goals in their last four league matches, and despite their 4-2 win over Mönchengladbach, their defensive frailties have shown in recent matches against Frankfurt (3-3), Bayern (0-4) and Stuttgart (1-2).

THE MIDFIELD, JUGGLING MANAGING AND CREATING
AC Milan already showed their ability to manage the pace of the game in Germany against Terzić's Dortmund, who were always ready to look for a quick break. It will be key to manage the different periods of the game as it unfolds over 90 minutes, especially in our midfield; we won't be able to rely on the suspended Musah. Regarding names, it looks like it will be a trio of Loftus-Cheek, Krunić and Reijnders with Pobega, who put in a good shift this weekend in the league, as well as Adli who will be ready to be called upon. This is the choice that offers the most food for thought. Loftus-Cheek was the big star against PSG as a playmaker, and in that case, the pairing of Krunić and Reijnders shared the responsibility of directing play and intercepting. The Englishman would be starting from the first minute after sitting out of the Lecce game and only playing 30' against Fiorentina; to manage resources then, he could be played in a number 8 role, handing the responsibility of creation to Krunić, who has already played that role on multiple occasions this season. We are talking about versatile players, potentially ready to switch tasks and positions over the 90' with two alternatives behind them, Adli and Pobega, able to bring an important contribution to the Rossonero cause. 

OUR TWELFTH MAN
From the Yellow Wall faced in the away match to the Rossonero passion, which has consistently been reaching over 70,000 spectators at San Siro this season. On the great European nights - in recent years and in our history - the crowd has always proven to be the proverbial twelfth man, able to push the team over any obstacles, beyond their limits. It has been like this in the recent past, in evenings like those against Salzburg, Tottenham, Napoli and even more recently, PSG. In AC Milan's great Champions League victories, the San Siro crowd are a constant. And for this reason, starting from history and now in the present, we need to make the most of our support on this massive occasion with everything at stake so we can be masters of our own destiny. 

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