Christian Pulisic enters this week as each image and engine of Milan’s resurgence, whereas Santiago Gimenez lingers within the shadows of a storyline crammed with uncertainty. Because the Derby della Madonnina approaches, the query overshadowing Milan’s preparation is straightforward but charged with suspense: Will Santiago Gimenez get better in time? That thriller, paired with Pulisic’s explosive type, provides Sunday’s conflict with Inter a pressure that goes far past the desk.
The American has travelled a protracted highway to grow to be Milan’s inventive heartbeat. From the twitchy prodigy at Dortmund to the inconsistent ahead at Chelsea, the promise was at all times there. It merely wanted the correct tactical soil, and the Rossoneri offered it.
Since arriving in the summertime of 2023, the USMNT star has grown from a hopeful reclamation challenge into certainly one of Serie A’s best attackers. His first season ended with 15 objectives and 10 assists throughout all competitions, adopted by an excellent sharper 17-goal, 10-assist return in 2024-25. What modified? The whole lot within the margins: smarter urgent, cleaner third-man runs, improved chemistry with Rafael Leao, and a last contact that lastly matches his ambition.
The early months of 2025-26 have reaffirmed that transformation. The 27-year-old opened the marketing campaign with a blistering run, scoring within the Coppa Italia and producing a brace-and-assist efficiency that signaled the Rossoneri’s intentions. Via mid-November, he already has 4 Serie A objectives and two assists, rating among the many league’s most harmful forwards.
Christian Pulisic of AC Milan celebrates after scoring a objective
These numbers aren’t statistical noise; they’re the inspiration of Milan’s title push heading right into a derby that might shift the steadiness of energy within the metropolis. Thus, this weekend’s assembly of Milan and Inter is arguably the most important Serie A fixture of the season. The Nerazzurri lead the league by the narrowest of margins, whereas Milan sits inside touching distance due to Pulisic’s consistency and the aspect’s early-season resilience.
The Gimenez query lastly revealed
Till now, one situation has hovered within the background of Milan’s preparations: Santiago Gimenez’s situation. Reviews throughout Italy painted an image of a striker pushing desperately to make it again in time.
Nevertheless, in line with Sky Italia and La Gazzetta dello Sport, “Gimenez was once more not in full coaching on Friday” and stays restricted by the ankle downside that saved him out of Mexico’s latest worldwide fixtures. Gazzetta provides that “it’s unlikely he’ll even make the bench,” confirming that the striker is sort of actually dominated out.
Santiago Gimenez of AC Milan controls the ball
This absence carries weight not solely due to Gimenez’s ending however due to how he permits Pulisic and Leao. With out his hold-up play, the dynamic pair should function in roles neither totally prefers. But supervisor Massimiliano Allegri won’t rush a return. As Gazzetta dello Sport studies: “For him to return, it needs to be a full restoration.”
