• Christian Pulisic will begin the match on the bench for AC Milan.
• The Rossoneri require a victory to maintain their push for Champions League qualification.
• Sassuolo captain Domenico Berardi returns to action after serving a ban.

AC Milan travel to Reggio Emilia this weekend for an important Serie A meeting with Sassuolo. The game begins at 3:00 PM local time at the Mapei Stadium.

The visitors currently occupy third place in the league standings. They hold a five-point lead over Como, who played on Saturday and drew 0-0 against Napoli. Three points here would help Milan secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.

Sassuolo have already guaranteed their safety this term. They have collected 46 points from 34 matches and sit comfortably in mid-table.

The Rossoneri will be without Luka Modric for this encounter. The Croatian midfielder is unavailable, so Ardon Jashari is set to play in the centre of the park. In further team news, Christopher Nkunku replaces Christian Pulisic in the starting eleven. The United States international has not scored any goals during 2026.

For the home side, Domenico Berardi comes back into the starting line-up. The Italian winger missed the previous two matches due to suspension. In goal, Stefano Turati keeps his place ahead of Arijanet Muric for the third match running.

Supporters in the United Kingdom and Ireland can follow the action live on DAZN and TikTok. Fans in the United States can watch via Paramount+. Football Italia will also provide live updates through their online blog.

Expected Starting XIs:

Sassuolo (4-3-3): Turati; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Garcia; Thorstvedt, Matic, Koné; Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté.

AC Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Jashari, Rabiot, Estupinan; Leão, Nkunku.

• Max Allegri will start Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leão together up front for the Serie A clash against Sassuolo
• Christian Pulisic loses his place in the team after failing to score in 16 consecutive matches
• Luka Modric is out for the rest of the season with a fractured cheekbone, so Ardon Jashari will play in midfield

Max Allegri plans to use a new attacking pair when AC Milan travel to face Sassuolo this Sunday. The manager wants to start Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leão together in the forward line.

The Serie A Week 35 match takes place at the Mapei Stadium. Kick-off is at 14:00 UK time (15:00 local time). Milan are currently third in the table, but they are worried about their poor form in front of goal after a goalless draw with Juventus last week.

Christian Pulisic will not start the match. The United States forward has not scored any goals in 2026. He has now gone 16 games without finding the net. This equals the worst scoring run of his career.

Sky Sport Italia reports that Allegri tested the Nkunku-Leão partnership in training. The two players have different strengths, which could work well in Allegri’s 3-5-2 system.

Milan will miss Luka Modric in midfield. The Croatian player had surgery on a broken cheekbone and cannot play for the rest of the season. Ardon Jashari is expected to take his place in the team.

There are also problems on the left side of defence. Both Pervis Estupinan and Davide Bartesaghi are injury doubts. Bartesaghi is not fully fit, while Estupinan is also struggling with fitness.