Massimiliano Allegri intends to treat the Serie A season as a marathon, rather than a sprint, but he knows Champions League qualification is the minimum requirement for AC Milan.

Allegri is back with the Rossoneri for a second stint in charge 11 years after he was sacked by the club, having guided them to a Scudetto and a Supercoppa Italiana triumph during three-and-a-half years at the helm the first time around.

Milan will not participate in a continental competition this term after finishing eighth under Sergio Conceicao in 2024-25, the first time they have failed to qualify for Europe in a decade (excluding 2019-20, when they were due to take part in the Europa League but were banned over financial fair play issues). 

Speaking on the eve of the Rossoneri's Serie A opener against newly promoted Cremonese at San Siro, Allegri outlined his expectations for the campaign ahead.

"I always say that in the league you have to move forward like you're on a cruise. You can't go too fast, but you must stay steady," he said.

"Next year, we all know Milan must return to the Champions League without setting limits for ourselves, and we can only achieve that by focusing on desire, hard work and attention to detail in training."

Milan beat Bari 2-0 in a home Coppa Italia tie last Sunday, as Allegri oversaw his first competitive game as the Rossoneri's head coach since January 2014, but he knows a league fixture will be another matter entirely.

"Tomorrow, we start the season with an important match. I'm very curious, also because I'm returning to the touchline after a year away," he said.

"It was wonderful to see so many people in the Coppa Italia and tomorrow there will be 75,000 fans here.

"We need to work well and try to get to at least March in the best possible condition. I'm very happy with the players – this is a group that is becoming a real team."

Allegri handed Luka Modric his Milan debut from the bench in last week's game, with Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on target, though the latter did go off with an injury.

That forward duo are set to be given additional competition by Victor Boniface, who is expected to arrive from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with a purchase option, but Allegri would not discuss the Nigerian's imminent move. 

"At the moment he is not a Milan player, so out of respect for the other club I won't comment," Allegri said of the striker.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

AC Milan – Luka Modric

Modric is the only former Ballon d'Or winner currently playing in Serie A and should make his first appearance in the league on Saturday.

At 39 years old, he remains a force to be reckoned with. 

In all competitions in 2024-25, Modric set his record for appearances in a season with Real Madrid (57) and was involved in 13 goals (four goals, nine assists). Only in 2021-22 did he register more goal involvements in a Madrid shirt, with 15.

Cremonese – Jari Vandeputte

Vandeputte provided 28 assists in Serie B over the past two seasons, for former club Catanzaro and during an initial loan spell with Cremonese last season.

No player has provided more across Europe's top five leagues and their respective second tiers (including play-offs), with only Mohamed Salah matching the 29-year-old, who made his move permanent during the off-season.

MATCH PREDICTION: AC MILAN WIN

Milan and Cremonese drew their last two Serie A matches, which were played in the 2022-23 season (0-0 at Cremonese on November 8, 2022 and 1-1 at San Siro on May 3, 2023). 

Only against Atalanta (three between 1995 and 2022) and Udinese (four between 1989 and 1994) have Cremonese drawn more consecutive matches in the top flight.

However, Cremonese have lost seven of their eight away games against Milan in Serie A, with that draw the only time they have avoided defeat.

Only against Juventus (eight in eight attempts) have Cremonese recorded more away defeats in the competition (also seven against Lazio and Napoli).

Milan have won four of their last five season-opening games in Serie A, though they drew their most recent one 2-2 against Torino last year. 

The Rossoneri have not recorded consecutive draws in their first league game of the season since 2004-05 and 2005-06 (against Livorno and Ascoli in that case).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Milan – 66.7%

Cremonese – 14.8%

Draw – 18.5%