MiTi: Rabiot and Pulisic will miss Fiorentina, Leo will return to the starting lineup

October 17th, in this round of Serie A, Milan will face Fiorentina at home. According to the Italian media "Gazzetta dello Sport", Rabiot and Pulisic will miss the game, and Leo is expected to return to the starting lineup in this campaign.

Media reported that Rabiot and Pulisic will not be able to play against Fiorentina, but Leo is ready for his first start in the league this season. Due to the injuries of Rabiot and Pulisic, as well as the physical condition of Salle Marcos and Estupinian, AC Milan found themselves full of injured players after the national team match day, and now the team will rely on their No. 10 player. Leo returned early after playing with the Portuguese national team against Ireland (playing 29 minutes). He has been training in Milanello since the beginning of this week and is eager to show himself. To be more precise, it is the desire to score the first Serie A goal of the season. He was unhappy because of the zeros in the goal column, but more importantly, he knew that the Rossoneri needed him now, needed him to be the decider of games like he had been in the good old days.

Milan's injury situation

Rabiot returned to Milanello on Wednesday and yesterday he underwent an MRI to evaluate a left calf problem that occurred during his time with the national team. The discomfort prompted Deschamps not to use him in the second game against Iceland, but did not let him leave the team early as he did with Mbappe. The examination results show that the soleus muscle is damaged and will be re-evaluated in about ten days, at which time he will undergo another instrumental examination and will probably be absent for about a month, so he will not be called up again until after the next international match. Rabiot, used to recovering faster than expected, would like to return earlier, say for Saturday's trip to Parma on November 8, but the technical and medical teams will handle the situation with great caution given the sensitivity of the injured muscle. If he is not included in the squad against Parma, the possibility of Rabiot being called up by France in November will be zero, so he will return against Turin on Sunday 23 November, thus missing five Serie A games: against Fiorentina, Pisa, Atalanta, Roma and Parma.

The situation is similar for Pulisic, who missed his connecting flight to Italy due to flight delays and therefore did not have a test yesterday. He will undergo a check-up today, but there aren't too many questions surrounding the injury to his right thigh flexor. Just determine the severity of the problem and the number of weeks of absence that will ensue. A strain above grade one would also complicate his return before the international break. Milan was also unhappy with Team USA's use of him.

Salemakors and Estupinian

Salemakors' condition has improved. He left the field after an hour in Belgium's match against North Macedonia. A problem with his right leg flexor seems to have prevented him from playing against the Viola. However, Salemakors had already conducted high-intensity training on the court yesterday. He feels positive and will try to rejoin the team for training today. If there is no back-and-forth, Salle Marcos will be expected to occupy the right wing as usual, otherwise the options of Arte Camé, who has made three substitute appearances totaling 59 minutes in his Rossoneri career, will be assessed.

Then there's Estupinian, who is dealing with the lingering effects of a left ankle injury sustained while with the Ecuadorian national team. He trained alone yesterday and will try to speed up his recovery today and tomorrow. Bart Sacchi is ready to replace him and he is very much appreciated by Allegri.

Leo heads towards his first start of the season

If he can train with the same intensity he showed this week today and tomorrow and give positive signals when off the ball, the Portuguese winger will start in the league for the first time on Sunday. He's motivated, knowing full well that after a promising pre-season, his season has yet to really get off the ground. Sure, he scored against Bari in the Coppa Italia in mid-August, but then he got injured and he failed to shine when coming off the bench against Napoli and Juventus. What's more, against Juventus, he missed two goal opportunities that could have changed the situation of the game, and was considered not to "try his best" for the team. On Sunday, he hopes to turn the page once and for all and become a match-maker even in his new role as centre-forward, a position that Allegri has tailor-made for him.