Christian Pulisic, AC Milan receive Champions League warning from Allegri after 1-0 win over Lecce

Christian Pulisic and AC Milan took another step forward in the 2025-26 Serie A season with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Lecce on Matchday 21 on Sunday. While the Rossoneri remain in the title race behind Inter Milan, head coach Massimiliano Allegri struck a cautionary tone, issuing a clear Champions League warning to the USMNT star and the rest of his squad.

The start of 2026 has not gone as planned for Pulisic, who has yet to register a goal contribution in matches against Cagliari, Genoa, Fiorentina, and now Lecce. Still, after Pulisic was substituted late for Niclas Füllkrug, the German striker scored his first goal for Milan in the 76th minute to secure all three points, though the performance itself failed to fully satisfy Allegri.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia after the match, Allegri offered a blunt assessment of Milan’s Champions League ambitions: “We’re doing good things, but what we’ve done so far isn’t enough to qualify for the Champions League. Now we have three important away games ahead, and a big part of our season will be decided there.“

After finishing ninth in Serie A and losing the Coppa Italia final last season, Milan missed out on European competition this year. However, the lighter schedule has allowed the club to fully commit to a new project under Allegri, a process that has begun to pay off as the Rossoneri remain firmly in the top-half of the table.

Within that context, Allegri has consistently emphasized that the objective is not the Scudetto, but a top-four finish. When asked by DAZN Italia when he would stop repeating that message, the Milan coach was direct: “When we are mathematically in the top four. There’s still time. As of today, I repeat, the Champions League threshold is 74 points, while the Scudetto threshold is 86–88.“

What’s next for AC Milan

With the win over Lecce, AC Milan climbed into second place in Serie A with 46 points from 21 matches, trailing Inter Milan’s 49 points at the top. Napoli sit third with 43 points, followed closely by AS Roma with 42, setting up a tightly contested race where every dropped point could prove costly in the battle for Champions League qualification.

As Allegri noted, Milan now face a demanding stretch on the road, with their home match against Como postponed. The Rossoneri travel to face Roma on January 25 in a pivotal clash, before visiting Bologna on February 3 and Pisa on February 15, a run that could significantly shape the trajectory of their season.