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AC Milan are back in action after an extended break as they take on Pisa at the Arena Garibaldi on Friday night.
By the time Milan take to the field in Tuscany, it will have been 10 days since they last played, in the 3-0 win away against Bologna. That is because the Milan-Como fixture – scheduled for last weekend – has been moved to next week due to the Winter Olympic games being at San Siro.
Massimiliano Allegri spoke on the eve of the game in Pisa in his pre-match press conference, and he downplayed the idea that this could be the round of games that relaunches the Scudetto push.
Game date: Friday, February 13
Kick-off time: 20:45 (CET)
Venue: Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani
Referee: Michael Fabbri (VAR: Aureliano)
Team news
As mentioned, Milan come into this one having won their last fixture, lumping more misery on an out-of-sorts Bologna side. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christopher Nkunku and Adrien Rabiot were the three goal scorers on the night, and it could have been an even bigger margin.
Plenty has happened since then because of the gap between the games. Above all, Inter’s 5-0 win at Sassuolo has moved them eight points clear for the time being. Juventus drew with Lazio, while Napoli won a thriller at Genoa and Roma also won, so the need for three points remains.
The weekend provides an opportunity for the Rossoneri too. Being the early game on Friday gives a chance to put pressure on the others around them, with Inter vs. Juventus, Napoli vs. Roma and Lazio vs. Atalanta all on the slate for Saturday and Sunday.
The issue for Massimiliano Allegri is once again the attack that will be available at the Stadio Romeo Anconetani. The good news is that Christopher Nkunku is in fine form and should get the nod, but Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Niclas Füllkrug are all battling various ailments.
Of those three, Leao seems to be the one most likely to grit his teeth and get the nod alongside Nkunku, but the use of Loftus-Cheek up front – as we saw in Bologna – cannot be excluded either, given the Como game is on Wednesday.
On the right side there is an issue too: Alexis Saelemaekers had a new MRI scan on his muscle problem on Monday, and while the outcome was positive, there seems to be little chance of him starting in Pisa. So, Zachary Athekame for his third league start, after doing will last week.
In his press conference, Allegri shed more light: “Pulisic trained with the group for the first time yesterday [Wednesday]. He’s available but will only get 15-20 minutes. Leao is much better. Gimenez is even much better, he could be available within a month. Saelemaekers will still be out, but he’s much better. We’ll see if he’ll be available for the Como match.”
Changes are not expected in their masses on Friday night, and the backline will only see one change, it seems. Fikayo Tomori will take the place of Koni De Winter, so he will sit aside Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic ahead of Mike Maignan.
Zachary Athekame and Davide Bartesaghi will retain their spots at wing-back, with Saelemaekers not yet ready. In the middle, it will remain unchanged. Luka Modric will sit between Youssouf Fofana and Adrien Rabiot.
Finally, Rafael Leao is ready to go again, so he partners with Christopher Nkunku in place of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Athekame, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Leao.
Predicted Milan bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, Odogu, De Winter, Estupinan, Ricci, Loftus-Cheek Jashari, Modric, Pulisic, Füllkrug.
Injuries & suspensions: Gimenez.
The opponents
In our preview for the first meeting back at San Siro in October, we recapped the business that Pisa had done upon their return to Serie A, with over €20m net spent.
In the winter they were quite active, signing Radio Durosinmi from Viktoria Plzen for €9m, Rosen Bozhinov from Antwerp for €5m and Filip Stojilkovic from Cracovia for €3m.
The biggest change though came recently, with former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino being given his marching orders. After beginning the second half of the season with two draws against Udinese and Atalanta, two heavy defeats against Inter and Sassuolo saw them make a change.
The Tuscans had not changed coach during the season since September 2022, when after just six rounds – in Serie B – Luca D’Angelo was recalled to replace Rolando Maran. On 3 February the club announced the new coach Oscar Hiljemark, formerly of Aalborg and Elfsborg.
His first game suggested that there has been a bit of solidity found at least as they drew 0-0 away from home against Hellas Verona last weekend. The fact remains though that Pisa have won one game out of 24 and have scored just 19 times. Only one team – ironically Verona – have scored less (18).
In terms of selection issues for the new boss, Marin will miss this game because he has to serve a suspension. Veteran defender Raul Albiol is also out, as is Vural, while Denoon remains in doubt for the moment.
After their draw with Verona, it appears Hiljemark will keep the squad relatively similar.
Scuffet starts in goal, behind Canestrelli, Caracciolo and Bozhinov, there is no need to change after a clean sheet last weekend, especially with them under pressure for most of the game.
Toure and Angori will again start on the flanks, though it is expected that they will be more defensively focused than creating a threat. Furthermore, the solidity remains in the middle with Aebischer partnering Loyola.
A front three will then be utilised once again, with Moreo and Durosinmi keeping their places. However, Tranmoni should replace Stojilkovic.
Predicted Pisa XI (3-4-2-1): Scuffet; Bozhinov, Caracciolo, Canestrelli; Toure, Loyola, Aebischer, Angori; Moreo, Tramoni; Durosinmi.
Predicted Pisa bench: Semper, Nicolas, Coppola, Calabresi, Leris, Hojholt, Cuadrado, Akinsanmiro, Piccinini, Meister, Iling-Junior, Stengs, Stojilkovic, Lorran.
Injuries & suspensions: Marin, Albiol, Vural, Denoon.
Head to head
Milan have played against Pisa only 19 times in their over 126-year history across all competitions, which is largely because of the few seasons that the Nerazzurri have spent in the top flight.
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 for the Rossoneri in their home leg.
Earlier this season, Pisa were moments away from a famous win at San Siro. Leao opened the scoring early on, then Juan Cuadrado and Mbala Nzola turned the game on its head, but Athekame’s equaliser from range in added time ensured it was a 2-2 draw.
The last time that Milan played away against Pisa was back in 1990-91, as Paolo Maldini scored a rare winner in a 1-0 victory. The game at San Siro also finished 1-0 to Arrigo Sacchi’s men, when Daniele Massaro getting the winner then.
Key facts and stats
➤ Milan travel to face Pisa at Arena Garibaldi on Friday with the two teams on opposite paths, as the visiting side are unbeaten in 22 straight while the hosts look to halt a 13-match Serie A winless streak.
➤ Milan defeated Bologna 3-0 at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in their last league match to extend their unbeaten streak to 22, putting them in second place on 50 points with 15 matches remaining. The Rossoneri trail first-placed Internazionale by eight points and lead fifth-placed Roma by four for a spot in the Champions League.
➤ Pisa are in 19th place on 15 points, six points from safety with 14 matches left. Pisa earned a point in their last Serie A match, drawing 0-0 at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi against Hellas Verona, extending their winless streak to 13.
➤ The last Serie A meeting between the teams, an October match at San Siro, ended in a 2-2 draw. Rafael Leão and Zachary Athekame found the net for the Rossoneri. Juan Cuadrado and M’Bala Nzola were on the scoresheet for Pisa.
➤ Visitors Milan have been led by Christian Pulisic and Leão, who have netted eight and seven times,
respectively. Pulisic is tied for second in the league’s scoring charts in 2025/2026, while Leão is tied for seventh.
➤ In the final third, Stefano Moreo has been a key performer for Pisa this season. The attacking midfielder is their leading scorer with five goals, two of which have been the critical first of the match.
➤ Hosts Pisa will seek to address a poor run of results at Arena Garibaldi this season with four draws, seven losses, and just one win in 12 Serie A contests.
➤ Pisa have a six-match Serie A home winless streak dating to November 2025 (against
Internazionale). Milan have not been defeated in league away matches this season with seven wins and five draws away from San Siro.
➤ The Rossoneri will be out to extend a 12-match away unbeaten streak. They haven’t been beaten in a Serie A away game since May 2025 against Roma.
➤ In their last six league matches, Pisa have drawn three and lost three. Milan, meanwhile, have won three and drawn three in their last six.
Ones to watch
Stefano Moreo has been the biggest danger for Pisa this season. He bagged a brace against Inter three games ago and he can be deadly is not properly attended to on Friday night.
On the right flank, Idrissa Toure could be a bit of a danger for the Rossoneri in both phases of the game. He had three shots in the game against Verona and also delivered three crosses into the box. However, he won 12 of his 17 duels, proving that he could be a nightmare for Davide Bartesaghi.
Looking at Milan, the biggest player of interest will be Rafael Leao. Allegri stated that he is ‘much better’ now, and, as a result, he should be back to his normal levels. A strong performance would be ideal, but if he just shows that he is over the injury, that would be a big enough positive.
Finally, Zachary Athekame has another big chance to prove himself at wing-back. The Swiss was superb against Bologna, and if he has another strong game, it would only reinforce the bright thoughts for the future.
Prediction
Pisa have certainly got a reputation for drawing games this season, with 12 (more than anyone in Serie A). So, the earlier result in the season cannot be dismissed too heavily. Nevertheless, recent results against Como, Juventus and above all Inter show that the Rossoneri must get three points here.
With a long lay-off between the game against Bologna and now, Milan may be rusty at first, but they must be dominant nonetheless.
Pisa 0-3 Milan
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