Francesco Camarda has not started a competitive club match in 282 days. That changes tonight in Austria, where AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim has handed the 2008-born striker his first European start as the club tries to find traction after a sluggish opening to the season.
Camarda’s previous start came on 6 January 2026 while on loan at Lecce, in a 2-0 defeat to Roma. He has played just eight minutes for Milan this season across brief cameos.
“It’s normal, it’s comfortable, when you wear the Milan jersey, whether it is in Italy or Europe, it is always special. He will certainly give his contribution this evening,” Amorim told his pre-match press conference.
Tomori back after summer freeze-out
Alongside Camarda is Fikayo Tomori, who makes his first appearance of the campaign after being pushed out of the picture over the summer. The defender slots into a back three in front of Mike Maignan.
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Amorim addressed Tomori’s recall briefly.
“I speak with all the players, he’s an experienced player, I said a month or so ago that when he stayed in the team, he would be one of the players like anyone else,” he said.
A back three that can flex to four
Milan line up in a 3-4-2-1 with Camarda at the point of the attack, in a system Amorim has built around a back three that can slide into a back four during games. Asked to expand on the shape, he kept it brief.
“Nothing better for you guys to analyse! It doesn’t matter that much to me, it’s the principles that count, we just have to play our game,” he said.
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Three Serie A draws, zero wins in Europe
The Rossoneri lost their Europa League opener 2-0 at home to Benfica on 16 September, with Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kaminski scoring either side of the break. Christian Pulisic was among Amorim’s halftime changes but could not spark a turnaround. Three draws in Milan’s last four Serie A matches have added to the pressure, and the club is without Alexis Saelemaekers and Matteo Gabbia for an estimated two to three months.
Amorim was appointed on 16 June, five months after being sacked by Manchester United. He replaced Massimiliano Allegri, who was dismissed at the end of the 2025-26 season after Milan finished fifth in Serie A.
Kick-off at the Red Bull Arena is at 6:45pm local time.
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