If we rewind the tape eight days from today, we find Milan on the pitch in Bologna. A match dominated and won by the Rossoneri 3–0, with one particular detail: Rafa Leão did not take the field. Unlike Saelemaekers and Pulisic, who were unavailable, the Portuguese forward was at the Dall’Ara on the bench, but with the result secured in a short time, Max Allegri decided to take advantage of the situation and give him a rest. Now, more than a week later, it can be said that the break was useful, and Rafa is a strong candidate for a starting spot against Pisa.
Timely
If the rest against Bologna was necessary, this past week off proved even more beneficial for Rafa Leão. As is well known, Milan did not play over the weekend due to the unavailability of San Siro, which hosted the Opening Ceremony of the XXV Milan–Cortina Winter Olympic Games. Allegri made the most of this forced pause, making it clear from the start that he wanted to recover the injured players, and Leão seems to have benefited the most. The Portuguese forward has been training with the group again for the past two days and has also regained his good mood, as hinted by a few social media posts. He is ready to return to the pitch and is set to start alongside Christopher Nkunku, who is finally back in form, as pointed out by Milan News.
Round numbers
The match in Pisa, which will precede the important rescheduled fixture against Como on Wednesday the 18th, could be a good opportunity to get Leão back up to speed, as he has only shown flashes of his engine this season. Despite being a bit less explosive, however, Milan’s number 10 has been more clinical in front of goal: he has already scored seven goals, just one fewer than last season and two fewer than the season before that.
In addition, the Portuguese forward will be chasing some significant milestones on Friday night. In Tuscany, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rafa will have the chance to reach 80 goals for Milan (he is currently on 78) and at the same time score the 30th match-winning goal of his Rossoneri career (he currently has 29). Above all, the hope is that his physical issues are now firmly behind him, because in the final 15 league matches Milan will truly need the very best version of Leão.
