AC Milan midfielder Alberto Aquilani has been ruled out of the match with arch rivals Inter Milan, which will come as a major blow to AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri’s chances of keeping tabs with Juventus at the top of the table. Furthermore, it will also provide Inter Milan with the opportunity to close the gap on AC Milan.
It was only a few weeks ago at the start of the season that Inter Milan looked all but out of the title race, but spectacular form since appointing Claudio Ranieri has meant that AC Milan’s arch rivals have closed the gap. They have the opportunity to bring an end to the 12 match unbeaten run AC Milan have been enjoying recently.
The fact that Gattuso and Alberto Aquilani are both set to miss the match means that AC Milan need to rethink their strategy in midfield. Even though AC Milan have one of the strongest forward line up in the entire division, they are lacking in terms of the midfield numbers. So far, the presence of Alberto Aquilani has provided strength to the midfield, which means that his absence is going to be felt more than anybody else. For the rest of the season, though, a similar need to worry about the absence of Gattuso, as the veteran midfielder has been diagnosed with a rare condition called ocular myasthenia.
This is a form of influenza, which seems to have come to Gattuso during the recent trip to Dubai as part of the winter training camp. Alberto Aquilani has been missing from the AC Milan side for more than a month, but Massimiliano Allegri would have been hoping to get the on loan Liverpool midfielder at least for this game, which is truly mammoth in all ways.