Milan Vs Torino at 6pm ET: Allegri demands a response as Milan reshuffle without Leao
milan vs torino arrives at 6pm ET with AC Milan under immediate pressure to react after last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Lazio and a run that has seen them lose two of their last four Serie A matches. Massimiliano Allegri has framed the moment as a wake-up call for his squad, while Torino come in having steadied themselves through recent results, including a win over Parma.
What Happens When Milan Vs Torino tests Milan’s attack without Leao?
Milan’s lineup confirms Rafael Leao is injured and not called up, forcing a reshuffle in attack. Allegri has emphasized that the Rossoneri forwards must give the team a boost and that individual players need to rediscover their scoring touch after what he described as a debacle in Rome against Lazio.
With Leao absent, Milan line up in a 3-5-2: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Fullkrug, Pulisic. The selection places Christian Pulisic alongside Fullkrug, a pairing that also carries added focus after an argument between Leao and Pulisic following the Lazio defeat.
Allegri played down the dispute while still using it to sharpen the message. He said it is important Milan “wake up, ” adding that decision-making in the final pass is often the difference. He also noted Pulisic is doing well physically after a performance in Rome, even if his shooting accuracy has been off, and he expects that sharpness to return.
What If Allegri’s “wake up” message resets Milan after Lazio and Napoli’s move?
The stakes are heightened by shifting positions near the top end of the table. Milan’s defeat to Lazio meant they failed to capitalize on Inter’s draw with Atalanta in the title race. Napoli then moved up to second on Friday with a win over Cagliari, and that result has temporarily pushed Milan behind them.
There is also an immediate historical pressure point hanging over the Rossoneri. After the Lazio loss, Milan could suffer consecutive league defeats for the first time since February–March 2025, a sequence that reached three defeats and began with a match against Torino. That context gives Saturday’s meeting an added edge for a Milan side trying to avoid a repeat pattern.
Even with the urgency, Milan can point to stability at home in this matchup: they are unbeaten in their last 29 home Serie A matches against Torino (20 wins, nine draws), with their last home defeat to the Granata in the competition dating back to March 1985.
One additional storyline to watch inside Milan’s structure is workload and reliance. Luka Modric, named in the starting XI, is Milan’s outfield player with the most Serie A minutes this season (2, 366). At 39, he has not logged as many minutes in a single league campaign for five seasons, last reaching 2, 743 minutes in 2020-21.
What If Torino’s recent composure and Zapata’s record turn the match?
Torino arrive with signs of regained composure, having posted two wins over Lazio and Parma with a single defeat in between to Napoli. Roberto D’Aversa’s side set up in a 3-4-1-2 for this one: Paleari; Coco, Ismajli, Ebosse; Pedersen, Prati, Gineitis, Obrador; Vlasic; Simeone, Zapata.
In the table, Torino are 14th and nine points above the drop zone, and they are aiming to make it back-to-back Serie A wins after beating Parma last time out. While Milan’s home record in the fixture is imposing, Torino have a clear individual threat in Duvan Zapata. He has scored eight Serie A goals against AC Milan—only against Sassuolo has he scored more —and he has scored in his last three league games against Milan (May and August 2024, plus December 2025).
Zapata’s potential to extend that streak also carries broader historical significance. Only three players in the three-points-for-a-win era (since 1994-95) have scored in four consecutive Serie A matches against AC Milan: Antonio Di Natale, Diego Milito, and Romelu Lukaku. For Torino, that is a direct pathway to disrupting a game where Milan are seeking control, confidence, and goals.
