Allegri using AC Milan's injury woes as 'extra motivation'

Massimiliano Allegri wants AC Milan to use their injury troubles as "extra motivation", with key players missing for Sunday's match against Fiorentina in Serie A.

Milan return to league action following the international break without Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupinan and Christian Pulisic, the latter of whom was confirmed to have suffered a hamstring injury on Friday.

Christopher Nkunku is also a doubt for the match, having returned from France duty with a toe injury.

Milan, who are third in the table, are looking to try to keep the pace with early pacesetters Napoli and Roma. Allegri said he has enough depth in his squad for their meeting with Fiorentina, but noted they have to be clever about how they handle the issues.

"We'll be without Rabiot and Pulisic," Allegri said. "Estupinan won't be available, and Nkunku is to be assessed; he's got an issue with his big toe. If he manages to put his boot on, he'll be with us.

"We have enough players for the match, so there are absolutely no problems in that regard. Injuries are part of the season; we just have to be smart in handling the moment. It's an extra motivation.

"When there's a problem, we must find a solution; we can't keep talking about the problem, otherwise, we just lose time."

Fiorentina, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win in Serie A this term and are hovering around the relegation zone after an underwhelming start.

They have struggled for goals, netting just four times so far, which does not bode well against a strong Milan defence that has kept four clean sheets.

But Allegri is wary of the threat posed to Milan, claiming Fiorentina are a better side than the table suggests.

"We need to play with great concentration. Fiorentina have put in excellent performances, regardless of their results," he added.

"For us, it's an opportunity to take another small step forward and consolidate our position in the table.

"All matches are difficult to play and win. Fiorentina have excellent quality, with players who can score goals.

"They are also well-coached and well-organised. They don't deserve the points they have earned; they deserve more."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AC Milan – Rafael Leao

Rafael Leao has scored four Serie A goals against Fiorentina, only scoring more against Lecce and Cagliari (both five).

The Portuguese winger has failed to score in his opening two Serie A appearances this season, something he has only done once before for Milan since joining the club in 2019-20.

Fiorentina – Edin Dzeko

Edin Dzeko has scored eight goals against Milan in all competitions, with only Lautaro Martinez (nine) having netted more against the Rossoneri since May 2017.

Among current Serie A teams, only against Atalanta (nine) has the Bosnian scored more goals in his career.

MATCH PREDICTION: AC MILAN WIN

AC Milan have won 78 of their 170 Serie A matches against Fiorentina (D45 L47) – only against Roma (80) have they achieved more wins in the Italian top flight. 

Indeed, Fiorentina have only lost more Serie A matches against Juventus (82) than against Milan.

However, Milan have failed to win their last two league matches against Fiorentina (D1 L1) and could fail to win three consecutive Serie A matches against them for the first time since between October 2014 and August 2015 (D1 L2).

The Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last five Serie A matches (W4 D1), though they have not recorded a run of six in the competition since February-April 2024 (W5 D2), when they were led by current Fiorentina boss Stefano Pioli.

Fiorentina are winless in their first six matches of the season (D3 L3) for the third time in their history. And they have already dropped eight points from winning positions in Serie A this term, having dropped only 10 in the whole of 2024-25.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

AC Milan – 59.2%

Draw – 21.9%

Fiorentina – 18.9%