Why isn’t Christian Pulisic playing for AC Milan vs Lecce in the Coppa Italia second round?

This Tuesday, AC Milan will look to take another step forward in their quest for the Coppa Italia title. They host Lecce at San Siro in a second-round matchup, but Christian Pulisic will not be part of the starting eleven.

Head coach Massimiliano Allegri has partially rotated the squad compared to the one that typically features in Serie A, aiming to rest key players and avoid excessive fatigue. That’s why Pulisic — along with Luka Modric — will start the match on the bench.

The USMNT star was instrumental in the Rossoneri’s 3–0 win over Udinese this past Saturday, scoring two goals and assisting Youssouf Fofana. Considering that Christian played 63 minutes in that match — and with only three days having passed since — the coach opted to give him a rest.

Pulisic’s spot in the attack will be filled by Christopher Nkunku, who is making his first start since arriving from Chelsea this summer. The French forward will be joined up front by Santiago Gimenez.

Milan’s lineup vs Lecce

Despite the rotation, several key Milan players will be part of Tuesday’s starting XI, including Adrien Rabiot, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Santiago Gimenez. Allegri’s lineup will be: Mike Maignan; Strahinja Pavlovic, Koni De Winter, Fikayo Tomori; Davide Bartesaghi, Adrien Rabiot, Samuele Ricci, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Alexis Saelemaekers; Christopher Nkunku, Santiago Gimenez.

On the bench will be Pietro Terracciano, Lorenzo Torriani, Pervis Estupinan, Matteo Gabbia, David Odogu, Youssouf Fofana, Luka Modric, Christian Pulisic, Zachary Athekame, and Cheveyo Balentien.

Milan’s path in the Coppa Italia

AC Milan reached the second round of the Coppa Italia after securing a solid 2–0 win over Bari on August 17 — their first official match of the 2025–26 season. That victory earned them a spot in this matchup against Lecce, who advanced after defeating Juve Stabbia in the previous round.

The winner of Tuesday’s clash between AC Milan and Lecce will face a tough challenge in the near future: Lazio await in the Round of 16. They qualified automatically for that stage of the tournament as one of the top eight teams from last season’s Serie A.

However, that Round of 16 matchup is still some way off, as it’s scheduled for December 3. Before then, Milan will face several key Serie A fixtures — starting this Sunday against Napoli, the reigning league champions, and continuing seven days later with a showdown against Juventus.