Monza published its official starting lineup for the Friday night Serie BKT match against Modena on Modena FC's site, naming Andrea Petagna in the XI under coach Bianco.
The hosts' starting eleven were listed as Thiam, Ravanelli, Delli Carri, Carboni, Bakoune, Obiang, Pessina, Birindelli, Colpani, Cutrone and Petagna, with Pizzignacco, Brorsson, Antov, Hernani, Forson, Keita, Alvarez, Ciurria, Capolupo, Caso, Mota and Mout on the bench. Modena's side was published alongside it: Pezzolato, Tonoli, Nador, Dellavalle, Beyuku, Massolin, Gerli, Wiafe, Zanimacchia, De Luca and Ambrosino, with Laidani, Bagheria, Zampano, Mendes, Pyyhtia, Nieling, Colpo, Adorni, Cotali, Cauz, Arnaboldi and Imputato available as substitutes; Sottil is listed as Modena's coach.
The lineup release arrived ahead of what OneFootball framed as Monza's Friday-night opener at home against Modena, and it follows Monza's 3-0 away win over Sampdoria at the Ferraris the previous week. The clubs have already met this season: OneFootball noted Monza won the earlier fixture 2-1.
The numbers underline why this selection matters. OneFootball reports Andrea Petagna has eight goals in the current Serie BKT campaign, and five of those have come when he entered as a substitute. That pattern makes his starting role here notable: a player who has been most prolific off the bench will begin the game in the XI.
There is a wider statistical frame OneFootball supplied that sharpens the decision's significance. Lorenzo Meazzi is credited with six goals as a substitute in the tournament — more substitute goals than Petagna — and clubs across the division are deploying attacking rotations with clear effect. Monza listed 11 starters and 12 substitutes for the match, the same depth Modena announced, a reflection of how managers are managing minutes in a congested schedule.
The tension is straightforward. Petagna's scoring output has been real and concentrated in appearances as a substitute; starting him breaks that pattern. Bianco's selection suggests a deliberate shift toward making Petagna a primary attacking outlet from the first whistle rather than the late-game impact player he has often been this season.
Bianco's choice also carries match-level consequences. Monza go into the fixture buoyed by last week's comprehensive win at the Ferraris and by the earlier 2-1 result over Modena, but they have picked a lineup that alters how they might use their bench later in the match. Modena, coached by Sottil, showed their own hand by publishing a full matchday squad simultaneously, setting up what promises to be a tactical contest of starts versus reinforcements.
Given Petagna's eight goals — and the unusual split between starts and substitute strikes — Bianco is betting that converting a proven impact scorer into a starter will pay off immediately. If it does, Monza will have justified shifting a high-yield sub into a full-time role; if it does not, the coach may have to rethink how to deploy the very player who has been most dangerous when introduced late.
