Milan expect to have both Matteo Gabbia and Rafael Leão available for Sunday's Serie A opener away to Torino, with optimism growing over the pair as preparations get underway.
The squad returns to Milanello this morning after Ruben Amorim handed the players a day off yesterday. With the trip to the Olimpico Grande Torino now days away and kick-off set for 20:45 CEST on Sunday, the picture of who is fit and who isn't has started to take shape.
Both Gabbia and Leão sat out the friendly against Manchester United in Wrocław and trained separately last Sunday, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Gabbia picked up an ankle knock in training and is expected to recover, while Leão was held back by muscle fatigue in the build-up to the United game. The signs on the Portuguese forward are encouraging.
Elsewhere, Mike Maignan is set to start in goal straight away, something Amorim confirmed after the win over United. Luka Modrić, kept on the bench as a precaution during the mid-August friendly, has cleared up the minor problem that was bothering him and will be in the starting line-up at Torino.
The one open question is Adrien Rabiot, who only came back from his post-World Cup break last Sunday and may need time to reach full sharpness. The rest of the XI will be settled over the coming days, with Milan training every morning ahead of the match and Amorim's pre-match press conference scheduled for Saturday.
For a side opening the campaign away from home, having Leão fit and Modrić fully recovered removes two of the bigger worries. The final calls rest with Amorim, and his Saturday briefing should fill in the gaps.