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AC Milan host Pisa at San Siro on Friday night in what will be a first meeting between the two sides in over 30 years.
Milan’s win against Fiorentina on Sunday took them back to the top of the table after Napoli and Roma both lost, and they have a chance to build a temporary four-point gap at the summit, since they are the first game of round eight.
In his pre-match press conference, Massimiliano Allegri once again tried to keep everyone grounded by reiterating that the target for the season is a Champions League place, outlining two numbers required to achieve that aim.
Game date: Friday, October 24
Kick-off time: 20:45 (CEST)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Luca Zufferli (VAR: Gariglio)
Team news
Milan came from behind against Fiorentina a few days ago, with Rafael Leao returning to a starring role by scoring a brace inside the final half-hour after Robin Gosens had opened the scoring for the visitors.
It was a case of winning by any means, given the injury crisis going into the game. Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Christopher Nkunku, Pervis Estupinan, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ardon Jashari all missed out due to various issues.
As a result, Massimiliano Allegri made three changes from the draw against Juventus before the international break. The likes of Zachary Athekame, Davide Bartesaghi and Samuele Ricci got the nod, while Alexis Saelemaekers joined Rafael Leao in the front two.
There is only one good bit of injury news in the build-up to the Pisa game: Nkunku returned to full training with the rest of the squad on Wednesday and he is expected to be fit enough to at least to make the bench.
Estupinan is still receiving treatment for an ankle issue that he sustained on international duty, and Loftus-Cheek’s muscle strain has forced him to continue individual work. As a result, neither are expected to return.
According to the latest from Sky, Allegri is expected to make a change to the defensive department for the game, with Fikayo Tomori dropping out and Koni De Winter in line for his first league start. He would join Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic, ahead of Mike Maignan.
Alexis Saelemaekers should be back at right wing-back after his rare start in a central role due to the injury crisis on Sunday, with Davide Bartesaghi on the opposite flank. Youssouf Fofana, Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci are down as the midfield three.
Santiago Gimenez is expected to partner Rafael Leao up front, and the expectation is that Nkunku will make the bench but Loftus-Cheek will not. Thus, the options in terms of substitutes shall remain depleted.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Gimenez, Leao.
Predicted bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, Tomori, Odogu, Athekame, Sala, Gimenez, Balentien, Nkunku.
Injuries and suspensions: Jashari, Rabiot, Pulisic, Estupinan, Loftus-Cheek.
The opponents
Last season was a historic one for Pisa as they secure a return to Serie A for the first time since the 1990-91 season, by finishing second in Serie B.
The man who led them back to the top flight was Filippo Inzaghi, but by mid-June he had left the club. The reason? He decided to drop back down a level, taking the Palermo job having clearly been enticed by their project under the City Football Group.
The Nerazzurri decided to turn to another former Milan forward to lead them into their Serie A return: Alberto Gilardino. He is best known in managerial terms for the stint he had with Genoa from 2022 to 2024.
The summer window was an interesting one. The bulk of the spending was on Isak Vural from Frosinone and Henrik Meister from State Rennais, who joined for €8.5m combined as per Transfermarkt. Loan fees were paid for M’Bala Nzola and Lorran, who joined from Fiorentina and Flamengo respectively.
Free transfers for Juan Cuadrado and Raul Albiol – two veteran defenders – were completed to add some experience to the side. Calvin Stengs and Michel Aebischer joined on loan from Feyenoord and Bologna respectively. The main exit was last season’s second-top scorer, Alexander Lind, on a free.
Things started very brightly for Pisa as they drew 1-1 away against Atalanta in their first game, a fixture that Milan lost last season. However, since then it has been a miserable ride for the team of the leaning tower.
They lost four games in a row against Roma (1-0), Udinese (1-0), Napoli (3-2) and Torino (1-0, in the Coppa Italia). To lose each by a one-goal margin was cruel, especially against the champions where they deserved at least one point.
Their last three games have seen two 0-0 draws against Fiorentina and Verona – both at home – sandwich a 4-0 away defeat to Bologna. The result of all that: Pisa are bottom with zero wins and three points from seven games, with three goals scored and 10 conceded.
Pisa, still chasing their first league win, are also dealing with numerous injuries. After Stengs (expected to return in January) and Esteves (out for at least another three weeks), Mateus Lusuardi has also joined the infirmary.
He will remain there longer than expected, as the club’s statement explains: “Pisa Sporting Club informs that the instrumental tests carried out on Lusardi have revealed a high-grade lesion to the medial collateral ligament, the result of a serious sprain to the right knee.” He will be out for at least a month and a half.
Gilardino will now have Simone Canestrelli, Giovanni Bonfanti, Daniel Denoon, Antonio Caracciolo and Raul Albiol at his disposal in the centre-backs. Albiol made his league debut against Verona, impressing in the middle of a three-man defence.
La Gazzetta dello Sport believe Gilardino will go with Caracciolo, Albion and Canestrelli as the three in front of Semper in goal. Toure, Marin, Aebsicher, Akinsanmiro and Leris are tipped to be the five-man midfield line, with Tramoni and Nzola up front.
Predicted Pisa (3-5-2): Semper; Canestrelli, Albiol, Caracciolo; Cuadrado, Hojholt, Akinsanmiro, Marin, Leris; Tramoni, Nzola.
Predicted bench: Nicolas, Scuffet, Angori, Calabresi, Denoon, Mbambi, Bonfanti, Aebischer, Vural, Piccinini, Bettazzi, Meister, Buffon, Touré, Moreo, Lorran.
Injuries and suspensions:
Head to head
Milan have played against Pisa only 18 times in their over 125-year history across all competitions. To put things into perspective, they have played against Barcelona more in competitive games than against the Nerazzurri.
The first ever meeting dates back to the old Italian First Division in 1923-24, when a 2-2 draw in the away game was followed by a 5-1 home win back in Milano for the Rossoneri.
The two most recent games came over 30 years ago, back in 1990-91. Daniele Massaro got the only goal in a 1-0 win at San Siro for Arrigo Sacchi’s side, and in the return game Paolo Maldini scored a rare winner in another 1-0 game.
Key facts and stats
➤ There have been seven prior meetings between the two sides at San Siro: five Rossoneri victories, one draw, and one Nerazzurri win.
➤ The most recent Milan–Pisa dates back to 23 January 1991: a 1-0 Rossoneri victory with a decisive goal by Massaro.
➤ Pisa have not scored at the Rossoneri’s ground for 446 minutes: their last Nerazzurri goal there was by Criscimanni on 6 May 1984 in Milan 2-1 Pisa in Serie A.
➤ Pisa’s only win at San Siro against Milan came in Serie B, a 1–0 on 24 May 1981 (decisive goal by Chierico in the 22nd minute); the head coaches were Massimo Giacomini for the Rossoneri and Lauro Toneatto for Pisa.
➤ Milan have won seven of their last eight home competitive matches across 2024-25 and
2025-26; the only defeat was a 1–2 loss to Cremonese on 23 August.
➤ In their last eight home games the Rossoneri have scored every time, totaling 16 goals; their
most recent home match without a goal was Milan 0-1 Atalanta on 20 April, in Serie A.
➤ Milan had not led Serie A after seven matchdays since the 2023-24 season with 18 points,
jointly with Inter. As sole leaders, it had not occurred since 2020-21, with 17 points.
➤ Milan are the team making the fewest substitutions in Serie A 2025-26: 27 out of 35 available after seven matchdays.
➤ The last time Pisa failed to win any of their first seven Serie A fixtures was the 1983-84 campaign.
➤ Pisa have failed to score in their last four competitive matches: their last Nerazzurri goal was by Lorran in the 90th minute of the 3–2 defeat at Napoli on 22 September.
➤ Pisa are one of four teams still without a victory in Serie A 2025-26, along with Verona, Genoa, and Fiorentina. The Nerazzurri have not won in Serie A since 12 May 1991, 1–0 at home to Bari.
➤ Pisa are one of three teams in Serie A 2025-26 with the fewest different scorers – two – along with Verona and Parma.
➤ Pisa have conceded three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half; no team has done
worse (Cremonese have also conceded three).
➤ Pisa have conceded in 12 consecutive Serie A away matches between the end of the 1990-91 season (the last they contested before now) and the current campaign. They have allowed 28 goals in that span; their most recent clean sheet away was the 2–0 win at Roma on 20 January 1991.
➤ Between Massimiliano Allegri and Alberto Gilardino, this is the third official meeting: the previous two ended in draws in Serie A 2023-24, in the Juventus–Genoa fixtures.
➤ Massimiliano Allegri, a former Pisa player: the Milan head coach made five appearances for Pisa in 1988-89 across Serie A and the Coppa Italia, making his Serie A debut in Pisa–Milan 0– 2 on 11 June 1989, coming on in the 88th minute for Martini.
➤ Alberto Gilardino, a former Rossoneri player: the Pisa head coach wore the Rossoneri shirt from 2005-06 to 2007-08, scoring 44 goals in 132 official matches and winning one Champions League (2006-07), one FIFA Club World Cup (2007) and one UEFA Super Cup (2007).
➤ With his two goals in Milan 2-1 Fiorentina, Leao recorded his seventh Serie A brace, bringing his overall tally to 57 goals in 201 appearances. Fiorentina, along with Cagliari, are his favourite opponents, with six goals.
➤ Leao’s penalty against Fiorentina was the first spot-kick he has taken in regulation time since joining the Rossoneri. He had previously taken only one other penalty, in the 2020/21 Europa League qualifying round against Rio Ave, a tie ultimately won by Milan.
➤ Raúl Albiol has faced Milan 15 times in his career: 12 with Napoli – yielding eight wins, three draws and one defeat (14 December 2014, Milan 2–0 Napoli) – and three with Real Madrid (two draws and one defeat).
➤ Simone Canestrelli and Antonio Caracciolo are the two Pisa outfield players to have played every minute of Serie A 2025-26.
Ones to watch
For Milan, it feels obvious to state that all the eyes will be on the front two. Leao must continue after his exploits at the weekend in which he got his first two league goals of 2025-26, while Gimenez is hoping to break his Serie A duck in the current campaign.
There will be another chance for three players to impress who might not usually start. Bartesaghi has an opportunity to impress again on the left side, as does Ricci in the midfield three and De Winter in the trio at the back.
As mentioned, Pisa have only scored three times in Serie A so far this season and one of them was an own-goal. Nzola and Lorran are the two who have got their name on the scoresheet with the on-loan Fiorentina man the leader of the attack without question and the Brazilian having scored on debut.
The experienced Caracciolo at 35 years of age is the defensive anchor, while Aebischer and Marin too have plenty of Serie A games under their belt and will have to shepherd the midfield. The young midfielder Akinsanmiro is turning heads with his performances, too.
Prediction
The injuries are a mitigating circumstance, but Milan must make easier work of this game than they did the one against La Viola, with respect to Pisa. The end result is the most important thing, but there might just be an eye on the trip to face Atalanta next midweek.
Milan 2-0 Pisa
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