Milan arrive at their Europa League campaign opener against Benfica carrying genuine momentum from a turbulent but ultimately encouraging Serie A draw at the Olimpico. Trailing 2-0 at half-time against Lazio, Ruben Amorim made sweeping changes at the break and watched his side recover to draw 2-2, with Belgian winger Diego Moreira scoring twice after coming off the bench. The 22-year-old, signed for close to 65 million euros, had been muted on his debut against Juventus, but his brace against Lazio answered his critics and raised serious questions about whether he should now start regularly.

The performance exposed a persistent pattern under Amorim: the starting eleven has struggled, while the substitutes have repeatedly rescued results. Four games into the season, the Portuguese coach has yet to settle on a consistent first-choice lineup, and that uncertainty is reflected in the squad decisions ahead of Wednesday's match. Luka Modric, 41, was withdrawn at half-time against Lazio after losing possession 13 times in the first half, and both he and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are expected to drop to the bench against Benfica.

Christian Pulisic, making his seasonal debut as a substitute against Lazio, is pushing to return to the starting eleven. Meanwhile, summer signing Omari Hutchinson impressed in 13 minutes off the bench and is in contention to start at San Siro. Milan sit sixth in Serie A with eight points from four games, and the Europa League represents a fresh opportunity to build the identity Amorim is still searching for.