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AC Milan travel to face Parma on Saturday night, and Christian Pulisic should return to the field after missing the last few games.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, Massimiliano Allegri would categorically deny that Milan are already thinking of the derby, with another important game to play and an international break to come.
The fact that Pulisic – like Adrien Rabiot and Ardon Jashari – is being managed with caution to have him at his best after the break suggests otherwise, but this would be the plan regardless of who Milan were due to play on November 23.
Caution with delicate injuries is always necessary, especially with the muscles of players like Pulisic and Rabiot, or with the fibula of Jashari, who has been out since the end of August. Tomorrow, the American will perhaps be given the final half hour off the bench, to gradually regain match rhythm.
Not that Parma is just a simple training session: for the Rossoneri it’s much, much more. They have dropped points against Cremonese and Pisa, two teams battling to avoid relegation, and lost 2-1 at the Tardini last season.
Staying put
Pulisic should play for the first time since the Juventus away game on October 5. He would then have a long spell on the sidelines after suffering a low-grade calf injury while playing for the national team.
As a sort of compensation, or at least for common-sense reasons, Pulisic will miss the upcoming matches for the United States. Coach Pochettino didn’t include him in the squad for the friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay on November 15th and 19th.
This is in part thanks to previous negotiations with CEO Giorgio Furlani, who ensured that Christian will avoid the intercontinental trip and remain at work at Milanello. There he can train and recover to regain top form – only then will he be useful to Allegri and his own national team.
Pulisic is also a derby man: Inter are the most faced Italian opponent of his career, and he has recently scored a couple of valuable goals. One came in the derby win early last season, and the other came in the Supercoppa final in January 2025.
Similar tactics
Allegri could use the same thought process with Jashari: the Swiss was already on the bench against Roma, but remained a spectator for the entire match. In Parma, he could reboot his squad and then become a serious contender for a spot in the derby.
Rabiot is waiting. The Frenchman won’t be available for the national team (Deschamps did call up Maignan and Nkunku though), as he won’t even be ready for the game this weekend. He’ll have a couple of weeks to prepare as best he can for the resumption after the break.
It’s not a given that the derby will be on the horizon for Santiago Gimenez, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. It was an issue he wanted to publicise to underscore his commitment to the cause and the fact that it may have affected his performance.
The striker’s fitness will be monitored closely, without rushing things, not even in anticipation of the derby.
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