The Coppa Italia always delivers tension, reruns, and subplots, but this week’s showdown adds a layer of intrigue that caught supporters by surprise. As Santiago Gimenez prepares to watch Milan’s clash with Lazio from the sidelines, the club enters the Stadio Olimpico with a mystery surrounding the striker’s absence. The two sides, fresh off a fiery league meeting, collide again—this time with a quarter-final place at stake—and Milan’s attacking options are suddenly thinner than expected.
While Milan chases momentum, Lazio seeks revenge, and the stakes rise across the capital, the question echoes louder than anything else: why is one of the club’s most important forwards missing at such a crucial moment?
The two clubs meet for the second time in just five days, with every storyline from the weekend’s Serie A clash carrying over into the cup. Milan squeezed out a 1-0 win thanks to Rafael Leão’s goal and a heroic performance from Mike Maignan. The match also ignited controversy, and the fallout was intense. Both managers’ benches erupted, leading to red cards for Massimiliano Allegri and Lazio assistant Marco Ianni.
As the Rossoneri arrive in Rome, their coach faces a familiar challenge: limited squad depth and a congested schedule. Injuries have chipped away at options, rotations are necessary, and the need for calm heads in heated contests has never been greater. This is where the absence of Gimenez becomes impossible to ignore.
Santiago Gimenez of AC Milan celebrates with team mates Christopher Nkunku and Davide Bartesaghi.
The reason behind Gimenez’s absence
The Mexico international—who last featured in a competitive game on October 28 against Atalanta—has been battling a long-standing issue that finally forced him to stop. “For several months I’ve been playing with an ankle injury that hasn’t allowed me to be 100% fit,” Gimenez admitted on his Instagram account, explaining his condition publicly for the first time. “With determination, I continued to help the team…but the pain increased: the time has come to stop.”
This matches what Massimiliano Allegri confirmed to the media before the cup tie: “Santiago Gimenez isn’t available yet. He’s already working on his return, but he’s not ready for this game.” The striker has been out for over a month, following the injury sustained after the one-hour mark at Bergamo. Since then, he has only been taking part in individual training sessions to rebuild strength and mobility.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the club plans to keep him in individual training until late in the week before considering a gradual return to the group. This timeline rules him out not only for the Biancocelesti game in the Coppa Italia but very likely for the upcoming league match against Torino.
