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AC Milan will be back in action on Sunday evening, taking on Fiorentina at San Siro, but they will have to do so without some of their stars.
The international break has come to an end and Serie A is back underway. For Milan, having started the season really well, there is a great desire to get things going again. Especially since the 0-0 draw against Juventus was rather disappointing.
During his pre-game press conference, Massimiliano Allegri admitted that the injuries will play a big part in how the team will play tomorrow. On the other hand, he said there are enough players to replace them and that it can be seen as ‘extra motivation’.
Game date: Sunday, October 19
Kick-off time: 20:45 (CEST)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Livio Marinelli (VAR: Rosario Abbiso)
Team news
The international break didn’t exactly treat Milan well, with several players returning to Milanello injured. Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic will both be out for around a month, while Pervis Estupinan and Christopher Nkunku will miss tomorrow’s game.
Alexis Saelemaekers has at least recovered from his injury, which is a boost for Milan, but it’s not much of a consolation given the aforementioned star duo’s injuries. In any case, it’s clear that Allegri will have to shift things around tomorrow.
The defence is expected to remain exactly the same with Mike Maignan in goal, while Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic will form the three-man backline. Given how strong the defence has been, it’s good that Allegri doesn’t have to change anything here.
In midfield, Samuele Ricci will get the chance from start given the injury situation, partnering up with Youssouf Fofana and Luka Modric. On the flanks, Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi should be the starters as Allegri has opted not to give Zachary Athekame a chance.
Finally, Rafael Leao should start up front in a No.9 role of sorts, backed up by Ruben Loftus-Cheek in an attacking midfield role. Santiago Gimenez is healthy and will thus be an option off the bench, with the Englishman currently ahead for the starting spot.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-1-1): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Loftus-Cheek; Leao.
Predicted bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, Athekame, De Winter, Odogu, Sala, Gimenez, Balentien.
Injuries & suspensions: Jashari, Rabiot, Pulisic, Estupinan, Nkunku.
The opponents
After Raffaele Palladino resigned at the end of the 2024-25 season, despite Fiorentina wanting to keep him, Stefano Pioli was announced as the new head coach in the summer. For La Viola, given the manager’s experience at the club and in Serie A, it was viewed as a very positive arrival.
Furthermore, while the experienced Cristiano Biraghi left the club to join Torino, the likes of Jacopo Fazzini, Roberto Piccoli, Simon Sohm and the experienced Edin Dzeko were brought in for a combined €50m to reinforce an already solid team. In short, it looked like it could be a very good reunion for Pioli and Fiorentina.
So far, however, it has been a big struggle for Pioli with zero wins in the first six league games. Only three points have been collected and they are thus in the relegation zone, desperately in need of a win to turn things around.
Team news-wise, the aforementioned Kean was in doubt for the game due to an injury sustained while on international duty with Italy. He has been called up by Pioli, which is a big boost for La Viola, but he won’t play from the first minute.
Instead, the new signings Fazzini and Piccoli will form the attack in the 3-5-2 formation. Pioli will also rely on two strong wing-backs in Robin Gosens and Dodo, who both have caused issues for Milan in the past.
Interestingly, Pietro Comuzzo – who was linked with Milan in the summer – might not get the chance from start. In any case, it’s a starting eleven that certainly is capable of giving Allegri and his men a run for their money, especially considering the Rossoneri’s absence.
Predicted Fiorentina (3-5-2): De Gea; Pongracic; Mari, Ranieri; Dodo, Mandragora; Nicolussi Caviglia, Fagiolo, Gosens; Fazzini, Piccoli.
Predicted bench: Martinelli, Lezzerini, Kuoadio, Viti, Comuzzo, Parisi, Fortini, Sohm, Richardson, Ndour, Dzeko, Gudmundsson, Sabiri, Kean.
Injuries & suspensions: Kouame and Lamptey.
Head to head
Milan and Fiorentina have been up against each other 183 times, in all competitions, with the Rossoneri winning 81 of these. Fiorentina have 51 wins to their name, while the remaining 49 games ended in draws.
The most recent meeting between the two sides also took place at San Siro and ended in a 2-2 draw. Fiorentina scored two goals within the first ten minutes, which was quite the shock for Milan, but they at least managed to fight back for a point.
In many ways, the game was typical of the short Sergio Conceicao era, with the Rossoneri coming from behind after starting poorly. Tammy Abraham and Luka Jovic, who both left in the summer, were the goalscorers.
Key facts and stats
➤ There have been 92 meetings between the two sides at San Siro: 53 Milan wins, 24 draws,
and 15 Fiorentina victories.
➤ Fiorentina’s very first match in the single-division Serie A came away to Milan: September
20, 1931, a 1-1 draw, with goals by Magnozzi for the Rossoneri and Prendato for La Viola.
➤ Fiorentina have not won in Milan since September 29, 2019: 1-3 (Leao for Milan; Pulgar, Castrovilli and Ribéry for Fiorentina). Since that match, Milan have recorded four wins and there has been one draw.
➤ Since Serie A began awarding three points for a win, the leading scorers in the Milan-Fiorentina fixture at San Siro are: Shevchenko (6 goals), Batistuta and Enrico Chiesa (5 each), and Rafael Leao (3).
➤ On August 25, 1996, Fiorentina won their first Italian Super Cup at San Siro against Milan, prevailing 2-1 thanks to a Batistuta brace after Savicevic had equalised. It was the first time that the Coppa Italia holders defeated the reigning Italian champions in the Super Cup final.
➤ Out of 30 possible substitutions after six matchdays, Milan have made the fewest in Serie A: 24
➤ Fiorentina are winless after six Serie A matchdays, something that had not happened since the 1977/78 season. Their most recent league victory dates back to May 25 of this year, 3-2 against Udinese.
➤ Allegri and Pioli are set for their 23rd official meeting: Allegri leads the head-to-head by 15 wins to 2, with 6 draws completing the record.
➤ Stefano Pioli, a former Rossoneri manager: the Italian coach led Milan from October 2019 to June 2024, taking charge of 240 official matches with a record of 130 wins, 58 draws, and 52 defeats, and winning the league title in 2021/22.
➤ This will be Stefano Pioli’s 500th Serie A match as a head coach: his record stands at 217
wins, 135 draws, and 147 defeats. His debut dates back to September 10, 2006, Torino against
Parma (1-1), as Parma head coach.
➤ Mike Maignan has kept three clean sheets in Serie A 2025/26 (level with Michele Di Gregorio). Only Svilar has more, with four clean sheets.
Ones to watch
Ricci is expected to get the chance from start, given Milan’s injuries, and it’s an opportunity he absolutely must take. He impressed in pre-season but has since struggled to convince Allegri. With a little quality tomorrow, he could greatly improve his chances moving forward.
Up front, all eyes will definitely be on Leao and rightfully so. The No.10 must do a lot better and having worked at Milanello since Monday, specifically to improve his physical condition, there are few excuses. He has the quality, we all know it, but now he has to show it.
For the away side, Dodo has always done very well in the past (also against Milan) and he could cause some issues for Bartesaghi on Milan’s left flank. The Brazilian certainly has the pace and strength, so he could play a key role for Fiorentina.
Piccoli is another interesting one, having arrived at the club this summer from Cagliari. He’s tall and strong, capable of acting as a target man, and he’s got a pretty good shot as well. Milan should make sure to limit his space in the penalty box.
Prediction
Fiorentina have started the season very poorly and while that should play into Milan’s favour, I don’t think it will mean that much tomorrow. At the end of the day, La Viola have a very good team and Pioli knows San Siro well.
Adding Milan’s injuries to the equation, it feels like it won’t be a walk in the park. Nevertheless, the Rossoneri should bounce back from the Juve draw with a win.
Milan 2-1 Fiorentina
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