Allegri respect for Pisa, but warning for Milan ahead of Inter battle

Max Allegri explains his Milan choices for the trip to Pisa this evening and won’t hold back from Scudetto talk, even if ‘we must not lose sight of our target’ this season.

It kicks off at the Cetilar Arena at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The Rossoneri have a game in hand, as their Week 24 fixture with Como was rescheduled to February 18 due to San Siro being used for the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, but after that will face leaders Inter in a Scudetto showdown next weekend.

Allegri balancing Milan squad for busy week

“All we can do is try to get as many points as possible for our objective, which is the Champions League place, then we’ll see. Inter are coming off an endless run of victories, they are moving fast, and we must not lose sight of our target,” Allegri told DAZN Italia.

There are some concerns, as Milan only managed a 2-2 draw the last time they met Pisa back in October.

In fact, they had been trailing 2-1 until a last-gasp Zachary Athekame equaliser at San Siro.

“It is a tough game tonight, as Pisa are a battle for everyone, while they have a new coach with fresh ideas,” added Allegri.

“We need concentration and above all respect, playing with a high percentage of accuracy in our passing, because they will be aggressive and press us.

“We need good crosses, as they have players who are very strong in the air, they went close to a winner late on against Verona, so we must remember that games are to be played on the pitch, not on paper.”

Pisa made their debut last week under new coach Oscar Hiljemark, who held Verona to a 0-0 draw to remain in joint bottom place.

With Como and Inter coming up, Milan are resting some figures ahead of Wednesday’s clash, so Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic are only fit for the bench.

“Leao is doing much better, I had a doubt until the last minute on whether to start him or not. Pulisic trained with the team yesterday, so has about 15-20 minutes in his legs. Fullkrug and Jashari are fine, we have some great options to take off the bench,” concluded Allegri.