The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Bari

AC Milan begins their 2025-26 season by hosting Bari in the Coppa Italia round of 32 at San Siro. Due to their 8th-place finish last season, Milan starts a week earlier than rivals and enters the competition at this stage.

The key team news highlights manager Massimiliano Allegri's expected use of Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic as a front two, while awaiting Santiago Gimenez's full fitness and the arrival of a new striker.

Four key individual battles are identified for the match: 1) Milan's Leão and Pulisic versus Bari's centre-back pairing of captain Francesco Vicari (31) and loanee Dimitrios Nikolaou (from Palermo); 2) Bari's box-to-box loanee Riccardo Pagano (from Roma) against Milan's Ruben Loftus-Cheek; 3) Milan central defender Matteo Gabbia facing Bari's new striker Gabriele Moncini (signed from Brescia); and 4) Milan wing-back Alexis Saelemaekers, back from his Roma loan, up against Bari's standout left-back Emile Dorval, who contributed nine league goals last season.