The Rossoneri take the field tomorrow night in Rome against Lazio. Max: “Nobody cares about the Coppa Italia until the round of 16, then everyone cares. Gimenez and Athekame haven’t recovered yet”

Max Allegri has some good news and some bad news. “Pulisic will be available tomorrow, but Fofana won’t—we hope to have him back for the Sassuolo match,” he told Mediaset in an interview ahead of the Lazio-Milan Coppa Italia match. What happened to Youssouf? He has an adductor injury and will also miss Monday’s league match in Turin. Milan is trying to get him back in time for the Milan vs. Sassuolo match on December 14. On a side note, neither Gimenez nor Athekame will be available tomorrow either: “Santiago is working toward a return because it’s important to have everyone,” Allegri said.

Allegri offered an off-the-cuff description of the Coppa Italia, and it’s no surprise he added a touch of irony. “No one cares about the Coppa Italia until the round of 16, then everyone cares.” True. And on Lazio vs. Milan: “It won’t be easy, partly because there won’t be extra time. We’ll definitely find a great atmosphere, as always in Rome. For both teams, the Cup is an important goal, and Lazio is a tough team to play against.”

VAR on the other side—  Here’s the news. Sarri and Allegri, not exactly kindred spirits, are on the same page for once. Allegri also approves of the idea—proposed by Sarri following the controversy over the uncalled penalty in the Milan-Lazio league match—to move the VAR video screen to the other side of the field, where the benches can’t put pressure on the referees: “It could be a good solution, but the relevant authorities will decide. We have to focus on playing.” A classic Allegri mantra from his years at Juventus.
Milan’s lineup—  So, what will Milan’s lineup look like? De Winter is expected to start in defense in place of Gabbia, while Rabiot and Ricci will play in midfield (with Modric getting a rest); up front, Leao and Loftus-Cheek are expected to start, with Nkunku on the bench. Max defended the Frenchman, who certainly isn’t in top form right now: “Nkunku had an important game on Saturday; at the decisive moment, he played at his best technically. He’s getting into better shape, and I’m very happy.” Jashari will start, as Allegri made clear: “It will be an opportunity to assess Jashari’s condition; he played 45 minutes and then got injured. I’m also curious to see how he’s doing physically.” All Milan fans are curious.