Rafael Leao misses out on the first leg of AC Milan's Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan after not recovering from a thigh injury in time for Wednesday's match.

Portugal winger Leao picked up the knock during Milan's Serie A win over Lazio on Saturday and had been in a race against time to make the clash at the San Siro.

The 23-year-old had started every single one of Milan's 10 Champions League matches and was crucial to their last-eight triumph over Napoli.

Belgian winger Alexis Saelemaekers replaces Leao as one of the three players playing behind lone striker Olivier Giroud, who is gunning for his second Champions League triumph after winning the tournament with Chelsea two years ago.

Milan haven't reached the final of Europe's top club competition since 2007, when they won it for the seventh and most recent time.

Inter, who come into the match on a run of five straight wins and in hot goalscoring form, start with Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez up front.

Dzeko has scored twice since January, both coming at Verona earlier this month, but has been picked ahead of in-form Romelu Lukaku by coach Simone Inzaghi.

Hakan Calhanoglu starts ahead of Marcelo Brozovic in Inter's three-man midfield, which will be flanked on either side by wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco.

Teams:

AC Milan (4-2-3-1)

Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria (capt), Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Rade Krunic, Sandro Tonali; Brahim Diaz, Ismael Bennacer, Alexis Saelemaekers; Olivier Giroud

Coach: Stefano Pioli (ITA)

Inter Milan (3-5-2)

Andre Onana; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez (capt), Edin Dzeko

Coach: Simone Inzaghi (ITA)

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP)