Bennacer won’t play against Juventus starting tomorrow night, as Stefano Pioli stated at his pre-game press conference, according to Calciomercato.com. Yacine Adli, who has improved significantly in the defensive phase and is currently a starter in every way, will take his spot.
“In terms of his physical state, Isma is still not at 100%; the two games against Roma didn’t fully satisfy me.” Adli is currently the most dependable player, in my opinion, and he plays extremely carefully during the defensive phase, Pioli stated.
For the latest instance in this cursed season, Bennacer will start the game on the bench. This decision was made in response to his knee injury sustained in last year’s Champions League semi-final against Inter and his awful performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (Algeria eliminated in the group stages).
For a total of 976 minutes, he has only participated in 20 games—15 in the league and 5 in the Europa League. Even once he recovered, these are the stats of a reserve player, thus it is difficult to fault Pioli’s decisions.
This may also have implications for the future. Although his contract was extended in January 2023 and is set to expire in 2027, a summer sale might still occur, even if the price is less than the €50 million release clause. This summer is when that clause will be in effect.
Milan hasn’t made any decisions yet, but it’s obvious that the financial considerations will play a role. Bennacer’s annual revenue is €4 million net, or over €8 million gross. As such, a compelling offer will be evaluated.
The Saudi Pro League is still the most likely destination, although the former Empoli star, who cost little over €15 million in the summer of 2019, has supporters in both England and France.