Unbeaten, but not yet top
Milan head towards the Derby della Madonnina without a league defeat. The club’s records show five wins and three draws from eight Serie A games, with 16 goals scored and seven conceded, for 18 points and fourth place. The latest result was a 2-0 win at Udinese on 25 October. It came days after a 3-0 Europa League loss at Bournemouth, where, [1] reports, Mike Maignan was sent off and Milan played with ten men for over an hour.
At Udinese, Christian Pulisic scored early, and Omari Hutchinson, in his first Serie A start, scored his first Milan goal. [2] adds that it was Udinese’s sixth consecutive defeat. Before that Milan beat Atalanta 3-2, drew 1-1 at Sassuolo, beat Lecce 3-0 and drew 2-2 at Lazio.
The derby history is kind to them. [3] notes Milan have won the last three meetings with Inter and are unbeaten in their last seven. Inter lead the league on 22 points, four clear, and are also unbeaten. The game is at San Siro on 31 October.
The injury list
The obstacle is availability. The BBC preview says Milan face an injury crisis, with up to eight players missing, though it does not name them. Football Italia’s reporting fills in part of the picture. Matteo Gabbia, Alexis Saelemaekers and Samuel Chukwueze are described as [4]. Mario Gila, Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira missed the Udinese game, and the same report says they are unlikely to be fit for Wednesday’s match against Bologna. Head coach Ruben Amorim hopes to have them back for the derby. Goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano was also unavailable at Udinese, according to [5].
There is a new worry as well. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was forced off in stoppage time after a collision with Matteo Palma and is undergoing tests, with no timeline given. His status is doubtful rather than confirmed out, so the derby squad cannot be pencilled in yet. The return dates for Gila, Rabiot and Moreira are hopes, not confirmations.
Fringe players and contract news
The depleted squad has given opportunities to players who had waited. Sankhoun Diawara made his first Serie A start of the season at left-back, with Davide Bartesaghi in a more advanced role ahead of him. [6] lists Bartesaghi among the best players on the pitch. Hutchinson’s goal was his first for the club, which he joined on loan from Nottingham Forest.
Up front, the picture is less clear. Francesco Camarda has played only nine Serie A minutes this season across three substitute appearances, and one [7] report says Alphadjo Cisse appears to be preferred at centre-forward. That is a low-confidence indication, not a confirmed team sheet.
Off the pitch, Sky and Gazzetta report that Pulisic has agreed a contract extension to June 2031, with an announcement expected shortly. [8] stresses that nothing is official yet, so it should be treated as a rumour. Alessandro Costacurta, in the same outlet’s coverage, says Milan show good attitude but are not yet a Scudetto side.
What it means
Milan sit fourth on 18 points from eight games, unbeaten, and four points behind Inter. The goal difference of +9 and five wins show a side collecting results even while the squad thins. Two of the three draws came away from home, at Sassuolo and Lazio, and the 3-2 win over Atalanta shows the defence can be stretched. Seven goals conceded in eight games is respectable, but the centre-back absences make it a number to watch.
The next fixture asks a narrower question: can a patched-up group win at home against Bologna on 28 October without Gila, Rabiot and Moreira? The site’s forecast for that match locks 24 hours before kick-off, so no pick is published here. A win would keep the run alive and give Amorim a chance to rest legs before the derby. A slip would make the Inter game feel like a bigger test of squad depth than of form.
The derby record is encouraging: three straight wins and seven unbeaten. Whether Milan can extend it will depend less on history than on how many of the injured return by Saturday.
Sources
- Football Italia: Bartesaghi: ‘I feel in good shape, I am able to play in both phases’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A | Udinese 0-2 Milan: Pulisic and Hutchinson celebrate in Udine football-italia.net ↩
- BBC Sport: Milan derby to be shown live on BBC Two bbc.co.uk ↩
- Football Italia: Milan target derby return for Gila, Rabiot and Moreira football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Pulisic ‘job’ when Modric has the ball, Hutchinson gift after ‘massive’ first Milan goal football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Costacurta: ‘I like the attitude Milan are showing, but I’m not seeing a Scudetto team’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Ambrosini advises Camarda to look at Tresoldi: ‘Needs to play somewhere more realistic’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Pulisic ready to sign Milan contract extension as new salary revealed football-italia.net ↩
