Mario Balotelli will not face his former side Inter this weekend, Milan manager Sinisa Mihajlovic says, despite the striker scoring in Tuesday's Coppa Italia victory.
Balotelli's penalty was the only goal as Milan defeated third-tier side Alessandria in the first leg of the semifinals.
But Mihajlovic, who also said he was only "half-satisfied" with the result, revealed that Balotelli is still far from the form that would allow him to be entrusted in the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday.
"Mario was never in the condition to play in a derby," Mihajlovic told Rai Sport. "He has to improve his fitness levels, as he's been out for a long time. We will use the best available team.
"Why didn't he celebrate the goal? I've told him many times that football is joy and you have to celebrate when you score. That's the way he is and we must respect his sensibility on this issue."
Mihajlovic said he had hoped to lock up the semifinal with a more lopsided scoreline in Turin.
"I am half-satisfied. We had to win and we achieved that, but we could've sealed the tie already," he said. "We wasted some shocking chances.
"Alessandria eliminated Palermo, Genoa and Spezia, so we should've tried to cut off their hopes from the first leg, but we wasted chances that seemed easier to score than to miss.
"The positive thing is we got some playing time in the legs of those who haven't had much of a chance. From tomorrow we'll start thinking about the game with Inter."
Among those rarely used players, the manager highlighted the play of Andrea Poli and Jose Mauri.
He also said he was glad that Luiz Adriano's planned move to China fell through, but he couldn't rule out any more departures while the transfer window remains open. "For the transfer market we have clear ideas and we know who will stay here," he added. "I said at the time that Luiz Adriano's transfer to China was advantageous for the player and the club, but obviously as a coach I am happy he's back here, as he has always behaved well."