ALLEGRI: “WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL AGAINST SASSUOLO”

After the away fixtures in Rome and Turin, the Rossoneri return to San Siro to take on Sassuolo, a match that lies just before their trip to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa. For now though, full focus on the return to Serie A action, a match that can't be underestimated, as Massimiliano Allegri's said in his press conference at Milanello. 

THE OPPOSITION
"Sassuolo are an excellent team, they’re doing well in the league, and they’re one of those sides you can never switch off against, whether you’re ahead or behind. They have much more balance than they did at the start of the season, and so the game has to be approached with attention, respect and organisation. The priority is to face Sassuolo with the awareness that they can cause you problems and score at any moment. Defensively, we’ll need to limit their strengths out wide."

ABSENTEES
"Athekame is back. Fofana has recovered but won’t be involved tomorrow. Leão won’t be available tomorrow, but he’ll be back for the Supercoppa. Gimenez is working towards a return, and we hope to have him back as soon as possible."

THE APPROACH
"Over the course of a season there are different phases, and now, compared to matches like Napoli and Parma, the situation has shifted slightly. We need to find the right balance within the team so that we always have the correct approach and start matches well, both in the first and second half."

PULISIC AND NKUNKU
"Pulisic still has room for improvement. He comes across as reserved off the pitch, but transforms himself on it, becoming a real threat in front of goal. He played well in Turin but still needs to work on his fitness. Nkunku needs to be calmer, but he's in an environment that's keen to support him and everyone has confidence in him. He’ll do good things between now and the end of the year."

THE PROCESS
"True, we have 31 points, and we’re top of the table, but it's a long season. We’re on a jour we’ve rotated many players, and we need to work with the belief that we can reach our potential, knowing that the objective is to return to the Champions League. The squad are always keen to progress, and we’re working well, but we still have room to improve in certain phases of the game. Nonetheless, this group never complains because everyone has a clear objective: to leave something important written in the history of AC Milan."

THE COMEBACK IN TURIN
"In Turin the team stayed organised and, despite conceding twice, always remained composed. Matches don’t always go the way you want, but it’s important to manage the unexpected and keep pushing until the final whistle. That win gave us three important points, as well as enthusiasm and energy, but it showed that danger is always around the corner, so we need to raise our level of focus even further."

The AC Milan PUMA Kits for 2025/26 are available: buy them now!