Montolivo ruled out of Coppa Italia semi-final

The 31-year-old midfielder has been left out of the Rossoneri squad for the return match, while M'Baye Niang is also unavailable following a car crash

Posted Tuesday, March 01, 2016 by Goal.com

AC Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo will miss the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Alessandria with an Achilles injury.

Sinisa Mihajlovic's men go into Tuesday's tie at San Siro with a 1-0 lead after Mario Balotelli's penalty proved decisive in the away leg.

But 31-year-old Montolivo, who missed Saturday's win over Torino through suspension, has not been included in Milan's 23-man squad, with the club insisting it is a precautionary decision due to a minor Achilles problem.

Attacker M'Baye Niang is also out after damaging ankle ligaments and his shoulder in a car crash that will keep him sidelined for around two months.

Luiz Adriano (leg) is still not fit, although defender Alessio Romagnoli is named in the squad after recovering from a bout of flu, while Mihajlovic confirmed Balotelli and Jeremy Menez were set to play a key role against Alessandria.

The winners of the tie will play Juventus or Inter – with Massimiliano Allegri's men holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg – in the Rome final on May 21.