Milan head to St James Park on Wednesday night ahead of a massive Champions League Group F decider, but it’s yet to be see whether their key man will join them.
Rafael Leao has been left out of AC Milan’s squad to face Atalanta on Saturday evening, as the forward is in a race against time to be fit for next week’s Champions League final against Newcastle United.
The Portuguese international has been out with a hamstring injury since late November, but he was set to return to the squad on Saturday evening. However, with his fitness still in doubt, Leao was left in Milan as his teammates made the short trip to Bergamo.
The notion in Italy is that the wide man has simply not been risked ahead of the trip to Tyneside on Wednesday night, but that still creates a problem for boss Stefano Pioli, who will no doubt have hoped to get some minutes in before their last Champions League group game.
“Leao did not leave for Bergamo for Milan,” Sky Sport in Italy revealed on X. The Portuguese, on the other hand, is superior and will travel to Newcastle.”
Since his £45 million move from Lille in 2019, Leao has been a crucial player for the Rossoneri. The 24-year-old has 47 goals and four assists in 179 appearances for the club, including four goals and four assists in 16 games this season.
Malick Thiaw, Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer, Marco Pellegrino, and Mattia Caldara are also out injured for Milan ahead of next week’s trip, forcing Pioli to operate a makeshift back four in recent weeks.
Newcastle United presently sit third in Group F, one point ahead of Milan, which means a win on Wednesday night will be enough to guarantee at least Europa League football in the coming season. Should PSG lose to Borussia Dortmund, either team would qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
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