AC Milan sweating over Abate fitness

Massimiliano Allegri might have to make do without Ignazio Abate after the full-back picked up a knock during AC Milan's 3-2 Trofeo Berlusconi loss against Juventus on Sunday.

The Italy international sustained an ankle injury in the high-scoring encounter, and was forced to leave the pitch after 50 minutes of play.

Milan have announced that Abate will undergo further examination on Tuesday to determine how bad the problem is, but it remains to be seen whether the Italy international will be fully match fit in time for the Rossoneri's Serie A opener against Sampdoria.

The San Siro side take on newly promoted Samp on Sunday.

Abate, 25, has developed into an important first-team member at Milan in the past few seasons. He made 29 Serie A appearances in 2011-12.