Allegri expects tough Napoli assignment with Leao participation in doubt

Massimiliano Allegri may already have led AC Milan to one victory over Napoli this season, but he expects a tough test when the sides meet again in the Supercoppa Italiana on Thursday.

Allegri’s team sit second in the Serie A table after 15 matchdays, one point behind leaders Inter, having gone 14 games without losing since an opening defeat to Cremonese.

Napoli are just a point further back of the Rossoneri, having finished on the losing side when they faced off in September.

Despite having Pervis Estupinan sent off early in the second half, Milan – who had gone 2-0 via goals from Alexis Saelemaekers and Christian Pulisic – held on for a 2-1 victory.

Milan have avoided defeat in six of their last eight meetings against Napoli in all competitions (W4 D2), with both of the Partenopei’s wins coming in Serie A last term.

The Rossoneri could now win back-to-back matches against Milan for the first time since April 2023 (4-0 in Serie A and 1-0 in the Champions League), though across the teams’ last 20 head-to-head meetings, they have seven wins apiece (six draws).

And Allegri is not expecting anything to come easily when they face off in Riyadh, with a final clash with either Inter or Bologna on the line.

“Tomorrow will be a different game, it’s a one-off match where the goal is to get to the final,” Allegri said.

“Napoli are a very strong team. It will be a complicated and difficult match.

“Napoli, regardless of the tactical aspects, are a strong team, who score a lot of goals from inside the box. Tomorrow will be a new, beautiful match, with quality players.

“They were very aggressive in the games against Juventus and Roma. We have to be good technically; we have to play well.”

Milan could be without key forward Rafael Leao, with the Portugal international missing Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo due to a minor muscle injury.

Only Pulisic (nine goals, two assists) has bettered Leao’s seven goal involvements in all competitions for Milan this term (six goals, one assist), and though the 26-year-old is yet to return to training, Allegri will give him as long as possible to prove his fitness.

“We’ll see if he becomes available,” Allegri said. “He hasn’t trained with the team for several days, so today we’ll evaluate his condition.”

Allegri was also asked whether Milan will dip into the transfer market in January, with a move for West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug being mooted in recent days.

But Allegri’s main focus is on getting his injured players back involved, saying: “Milan’s most important market is to recover the players we have available to us, then we will see what we can do on the transfer market, together with the club.”