Why isn’t Christian Pulisic playing today for AC Milan vs Napoli in Serie A clash?

Despite their loss to Lazio, AC Milan managed to bounce back from their poor run with a victory against Torino. However, they face a much more complex challenge today, as they take on Napoli, who are also chasing second place in the Serie A standings. For this reason, fans are keeping a close eye on Christian Pulisic’s status for the match, as he could remain a key difference-maker in securing the win.

Massimiliano Allegri has decided to leave Pulisic on the bench alongside Rafael Leão for today’s game. Far from being due to any physical issues, this decision appears to be a tactical adjustment in response to inconsistent performances in recent matches. In their absence, Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Füllkrug will lead the attack, aiming to provide an offensive boost.

Pulisic has not managed to regain the scoring instinct he showed at the start of the season. With just one assist so far in 2026, the USMNT star is far from his best version with the Rossoneri. While he remains important at a collective level, he has not been making the difference the way he used to. For this reason, coach Allegri has decided to adjust the attack, also leaving Leão on the bench, as he too is far from his best form.

The Rossoneri are aiming for a different offensive approach than usual. Throughout the season, they have rarely relied on the Nkunku–Füllkrug pairing, so they could look to exploit the spaces between Napoli’s defensive lines to create more room and generate scoring chances. However, coach Allegri is making a risky call, as neither player has managed to make a significant impact this season.

Napoli lineup vs AC Milan

Coming off four consecutive victories, Napoli face AC Milan in top form, aiming for second place in Serie A. However, coach Antonio Conte continues to be without Antonio Vergara, Romelu Lukaku, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres, and Amir Rrahmani remains uncertain. Despite this, they have Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay, who are expected to make the difference.

Considering this, Napoli will lineup as follows: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic; Alessandro Buongiorno, Mathias Olivera, Juan Jésus; Miguel Gutiérrez, Stanislav Lobotka, Frank Anguissa, Leonardo Spinazzola; Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay; Giovane.

AC Milan lineup vs Napoli

AC Milan come into today’s match under full pressure to secure a win against Napoli, as a loss would drop them to third place in the Serie A standings. For this, coach Massimiliano Allegri has almost his entire roster available, with only Matteo Gabbia remaining out due to injury. However, Pulisic and Leão will be on the bench, with Nkunku and Füllkrug favored instead, adjusting the attack compared to previous matches.

With this in mind, the Rossoneri will lineup as follows: Mike Maignan; Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter, Strahinja Pavlovic; Alexis Saelemaekers, Youssouf Fofana, Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot, Davide Bartesaghi; Niclas Fullkrug, Christopher Nkunku.