After the three-day Christmas break granted by Paulo Fonseca, Milan returned to training yesterday at Milanello to prepare for Sunday night’s clash at San Siro against Roma.
Álvaro Morata has recovered from the tonsillitis that sidelined him against Hellas Verona and will start again against the Giallorossi.
It remains to be seen, however, whether he will play as a center forward or as an attacking midfielder. Much depends on whether the former Chelsea winger is included in the squad.
Will Christian Pulisic be back in training today?
This is according to La Gazzetta dello Sport this morning, which reports that the American, who has been out since Atalanta-Milan due to a calf problem, trained separately again yesterday. Only today will it be clear whether Fonseca can count on him for Sunday.
The outlook is positive, fostering hope that he will rejoin the group in today’s session. Fonseca’s plan is to have Pulisic start on the bench and then use him from the first minute in the Supercoppa. However, the absences of Leao and Okafor in the attacking midfield could force the Portuguese coach to start the 26-year-old if his performance in the last two training sessions before the Roma game goes well.
Milan struggles without Christian Pulisic:
With the Supercoppa in Saudi Arabia fast approaching (the semifinal against Juventus on January 3 and a potential final against Inter or Atalanta on January 6), Milanello staff want to avoid taking excessive risks. That said, a victory against Roma is crucial, as Milan has been struggling to score since Pulisic’s injury: no goals in the remainder of the match against Atalanta, two against the modest Red Star, none against Genoa, and just one against Verona. Fonseca did not run formation drills yesterday, but will today, making it intriguing to see not only if Pulisic will be among the probable starters but also where he might play: as usual, behind the main striker or perhaps on the left wing in Leao’s absence?
