The date of 23 November 2025 is approaching fast, the day when Milan will be “hosted” by Inter at San Siro for the twelfth matchday of Serie A. The derby needs no introduction, and at this stage of the season it carries consequences for the table and for the ambitions of both clubs.
At the moment Inter lead Serie A with 24 points alongside Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma. Milan sit two points behind in third place after conceding a late equaliser away at Parma. The match will test Milan’s ambitions, and the side coached by Allegri will need to face it with a strike partnership that is almost new.
The Santiago Gimenez situation
The attack might be without Santiago Gimenez from the start. The Mexican forward still has discomfort in his ankle. He used the international break to recover and regain proper physical shape, something blocked so far by these issues. He trained separately from the group on Tuesday, the day Milan resumed work ahead of the derby. The feeling is that if he is available he will start from the bench against Chivu’s squad, as relayed via Calcio Mercato.
What about Nkunku?
No physical problems for Christopher Nkunku. The French forward played minutes for his national team during the break and is ready for the derby, though he is expected to be used in the second half. The staff trust him fully after the 42 million euro investment from Chelsea, and he wants to earn a starting place in an important fixture. Allegri will still choose a forward duo that is almost new but was already planned at the start of the season after the failed signing of another pure striker.
Space for Leao and Pulisic again:
Allegri is set to field the attacking pair he has studied since summer but never managed to use. Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic will lead the line. The American has put his physical issues behind him. He already returned as a substitute in Parma and stayed at Milanello during the break, skipping the United States call-up by agreement with Milan to prepare for the derby. Leao has also recovered from the hip issue he felt in Bergamo, and he already started at the Tardini. He wants to take responsibility and lead the team in the role planned for him from the start, the centre forward, the 9.
A new duo
The Leao-Pulisic duo is almost new for Milan. In previous seasons they never played as central forwards. Under Pioli they were used as wide attackers in the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with a pure 9 ahead of them. This season they have started together only once, the opening minutes of the Coppa Italia preliminary round against Bari, before the Portuguese winger suffered a calf issue that kept him out for over a month. So far there have been two short spells together in Allegri’s 3-5-2, eleven minutes against Juventus and twenty at the end of the Parma match.
How will Milan play with Leao and Pulisic:
Leao will start as the more classic 9, yet both players are expected to move across the whole front line without giving Inter’s defence fixed reference points. From either side, Pulisic and Leao will try to break Chivu's defensive structure and create as many dangerous situations as possible. The first signs of chemistry in the 3-5-2 appeared at the Tardini. The key moment was the chance that fell to Pulisic after a back-heel pass from Leao. Allegri is working on these patterns at Milanello. He now has his two main attacking weapons available at full strength for the first time in Serie A. The derby will be an important test for Milan’s new attack.
