Tuttosport: Sassuolo then Supercoppa – when Milan’s injured players should return

AC Milan have Sassuolo on Sunday, but it is natural that they are beginning to think about the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia.

As Tuttosport (via MilanPress) point out, the Super Cup will take place in Riyadh starting next week. The competition will feature a ‘final four’, with the semi-finals being Napoli vs. Milan and Bologna vs. Inter, and the winners of these two matches facing off in the Finalissima.

Clearly, Milan’s goal (with only Serie A to play in) is to win the Supercoppa. Their exit from the Coppa Italia hasn’t gone down well with Massimiliano Allegri, who wants to return to winning ways, and to try and get a trophy in the bank after just a few months.

The injury situation

The paper takes stock of the medical situation at Milan, ahead of the Sassuolo match and then the departure for Saudi Arabia.

They start with Rafael Leao, the latest to be sidelined. The Portuguese had a scan which ruled out a strain or tear of the muscle but he will obviously need treatment to prevent the problem from getting worse. He should miss Sassuolo, but be there in Saudi Arabia.

Santiago Gimenez, on the other hand, isn’t ready yet. He recently began his recovery and needs time to regain his full fitness. He’ll follow the same path as Leao: he’s almost definitely ruled out of the Sassuolo match, but he’ll be ready for the Supercoppa.

Meanwhile, it was reported that Zachary Athekame is close to returning to full training with the rest of the squad, and that Youssouf Fofana is continuing his individual work. It seems safe to presume the same as Gimenez and Leao for them, in terms of their return.

It will be particularly important for Allegri to manage Luka Modric’s playing time, at least for the Final Four. The Croatian has seemed to be in decline in recent games, and perhaps giving him a few fewer minutes might not be such a bad idea.

Ardon Jashari is itching to play more and currently seems like the first choice for the former Real Madrid star. He’s unlikely to be left out of the starting lineup, but at least he won’t be given the usual 90 minutes.