AC Milan need one more win to end the season on a positive note and seal a Champions League place for 2026-27.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Luka Modric will be back in the team for Sunday’s season finale against Cagliari. He’s the one who wanted it more than anyone, despite the medical bulletin at the end of April having declared his season over, as Massimiliano Allegri presumed it was too.
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Modric is driven by a sense of responsibility towards the younger players and the desire to lead the team again next year in the Champions League. Ardon Jashari will make room for him in the regista role, with the master taking the student’s spot.
Completing the midfield will be the ever-faithful Adrien Rabiot and his compatriot Youssouf Fofana , who may be on his way out but has almost always been a starter under Allegri. Looking back at the team’s results, it’s possible that the former Monaco player’s role is underestimated.
In the last two consecutive home defeats, against Udinese and Atalanta, Fofana wasn’t a starter. Persevering would be be a risk, so Allegri will give him back his place at San Siro, after he also got the nod in Genoa.
The wing-backs will be Davide Bartesaghi on the left (PervisEstupinan is available after suspension), while on the right there’s a battle between Zachary Athekame – who scored in Genoa – and Alexis Saelemaekers.
Doubts up front
The defence will be made up of Allegri’s ‘core trio’: Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic. The attack remains to be assembled.
There’s no shortage of options: Rafael Leao has served his suspension, Christian Pulisic has overcome his muscle woes, and Santiago Gimenez and Niclas Füllkrug are fully fit.
The only certainty is Nkunku, because more than ever Allegri will reward merit, and he deserves it. First for his determined substitute appearance against Atalanta (a penalty he won and scored) and then for his man-of-the-match award in Genoa after another penalty drawn and converted.
Alongside him, Max could bring back a striker who can physically challenge the opposition defence, such Gimenez or Füllkrug. If the coach instead returns to his original solution, with two more movement-based strikers, one of Pulisic and Leao will form the pairing.
There will be room for everyone in the game. For Rafa, it could even be a farewell night because his exit in the summer window seems highly likely at the moment.
Whatever Allegri does, he must leave Leao on the bench. We average more points when he doesn’t start.
For leao to leave someone must be willing to buy which dosent seem like the case
Don’t worry, there will be interest in him AS long as he can run. We’ll see at the World Cup.
He hasn’t been running since last autumn though…
He has not been running since Pioli left
Funny.. ….everyone is now fit when we have only one game left.
In the end, the tactics il will be Milan backing the bus, playing not to score , defending all throughout not to concede. I can’t think far