Allegri ‘curious’ to see Leao and Nkunku in Milan vs. Roma

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri practically confirmed that Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku would start against Roma tomorrow, but admits it’s ‘not easy’ to ‘enter Leao’s mind.’

Milan host Roma at San Siro on Sunday evening, in the big match of Serie A Round 10.

The Rossoneri come to this fixture on the back of two consecutive draws, while Roma are the table leaders and have the least-beaten defence in the league.

The Giallorossi share the top spot of the table with Napoli and according to Allegri, they deserve to be in such a position.

“Yes, they have only conceded four goals, and they always give the feeling that they can score,” the Rossoneri boss said at a press conference via Milannews.

“I don’t know if they’ll remain at the top, but I know we need to get consistent results.”

Allegri will reunite with his ex-Juventus star Paulo Dybala tomorrow.

“His qualities are well-known. He arrived in Turin when he was 21, and he has grown a lot. He has an excellent scoring average, he knows how to play football, and he rarely makes mistakes when he shoots on target,” said the Milan coach.

“Soulé is also improving. Roma also have Pellegrini and Cristante. They are not the table leaders by chance.

“It’s always tough to face Gasperini’s teams. It has often happened to me to play against Juric and Gasperini’s teams in quick succession. The game in Bergamo on Tuesday was the most physical game of the season.

“The technical management of the ball will be fundamental tomorrow,” continued Allegri.

“If you make too many errors with the ball, the opponents gain strength, as happened in Bergamo. Tomorrow, we’ll have to be good at managing the ball.”

Allegri confirmed that Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez would miss the game, which means Leao and Nkunku are likely to start in attack.

“I’m curious too. Sometimes one finds unexpected solutions. Both play football well, so they can do well together,” said Allegri.

“It’s not easy to enter Leao’s mind. He did great things in the first month, but then got injured. Now he’s improving. He is still not 100% fit, but it’s important that he’s made himself available with a certain attitude.”

Luka Modric will once again start in the middle of the park for Milan.

“He’s okay. In the first half in Bergamo, we made many technical mistakes, so we had to run behind them. Luka has improved; he’s a point of reference for the team.”

Lastly, Allegri spoke about Luciano Spalletti’s appointment as the new Juventus coach and the race for the title.

“I wish him good luck. Napoli and Inter remain the favourites [for the Scudetto], considering their squads. Then there is a group fighting for the top four. Milan, Juventus, Roma, Lazio. Bologna are doing excellent things too, like Como. In the end, the best will win.

“We should never lose sight of our objective, which is to return to the Champions League. We need balance, and we must not get discouraged after two consecutive draws. We need consistency to get to March fighting for the top four. The first months of the season are fundamental to creating the foundations for the second half of the campaign. We must not think, but do.”