AC Milan and Juventus are both experiencing issues in the final third, which makes tonight’s clash at San Siro all the more interesting.
After finding the back of the net against Mainz yesterday, Harry Kane’s tally increased to 53 goals for the season: that is as many goals as Milan have scored in the league (48), the Coppa Italia (5) and the Supercoppa Italiana (0) combined.
Furthermore, as Gazzetta dello Sport continues (see photo at the bottom), Milan have no players with double figures in the league this season: Rafael Leao has nine, Christian Pulisic has eight, Christopher Nkunku has five, and Niclas Fulkrug has one.
Is today the day?
Tonight, Allegri will continue to use the Leao-Pulisic duo with the hope that they will return to being decisive. Leao hasn’t scored a winner since early January against Cagliari, albeit adding two goals to level the scores against Genoa and Como afterwards, and the final goal against Cremonese.
Pulisic needs to go back even further. At the end of December, he opened the scoring against Verona, and at the beginning of that month, he came on as a substitute against Torino and scored a brace that proved decisive in the final comeback.
Throughout 2026, Allegri has found three more goals from Nkunku and one from Füllkrug, making do with goals from defenders and midfielders to clinch points. Adrien Rabiot most recently scored the winner against Hellas Verona, for example.
Is that data enough to warrant a move on the mercato? Yes. The new Milan’s priority will be to sign a true centre-forward. True in the sense that he’s a centre-forward, unlike Leao, Pulisic, and even Nkunku.
From Sorloth to Lewandowski, goals are plentiful. The last Rossoneri scorer in a big fixture was Pervis Estupinan, the match-winner of the derby. He’s expected to get the nod from start tonight, but he hasn’t played much at all after that winner.
Allegri might give him the same task as last time, namely, starting from the back to surprise the opposing defence with pace…
David must convince Juve
Luciano Spalletti hasn’t had any better luck with his attackers than Allegri this season, and it’s no coincidence that Lewandowski’s agent is also expected at San Siro.
Perhaps it will act as added motivation for the current strikers, especially Jonathan David. At San Siro, the former Lille man will begin his five-match campaign to convince the Bianconeri to keep him for next season as well.
A goal against Milan would indeed weigh heavily in the race for Champions League qualification and also for David’s future with the black and white shirt.
Spalletti is ready to renew his faith in him at the centre of the attack after his excellent performance against Bologna. And the Canadian has no intention of stopping, especially since Dusan Vlahovic will be back on the bench.
The Serbian isn’t at his best after his latest injury, but if needed, he can be a resource off the bench with his strength in the box. He knows a thing or two about Allegri defences and could thus be a nuisance for his former manager.
Spalletti will also be without Arkadiusz Milik (he will end the season with just 34 minutes) and he’s unlikely to revitalise Lois Openda, who has slipped even further down the pecking order. A disappointment worth €44 million and just 2 goals.