AC Milan feel like they now have a top four spot locked up and thus Stefano Pioli can focus on going as far as possible in the Europa League, a report claims.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, Milan’s 13-point advantage over fifth place in the table is why the Europa League has become the primary objective for the second part of the season.
The first obstacle will arise tomorrow evening at San Siro, in the first leg of the play-offs, because getting past Rennes – seventh in Ligue 1 but on a real surge – looks a more complicated tie than it did at the time of the draw.
On the contrary, Pioli would like to do it without much effort, closing the tie in the first leg. On 23 February the draw for the next round becomes more challenging: West Ham, De Zerbi’s Brighton, Rangers, Atalanta, Liverpool, Villarreal, Sparta Prague and Leverkusen could all become round of 16 opponents.
Milan have never won the Europa League nor the UEFA Cup, and they would be the first Italian club to win it since it was renamed from the latter after Inter and Roma lost in the final. The Rossoneri were the first Italian club to win the European Cup, back in 1962-63, so they have always been pioneers.
Gerry Cardinale will be in Milan in the next few hours, and then go and sit in the stands tomorrow evening. His presence is significant, and for the owners it is very important to be able to lift a trophy at the end of the season.
We know how much sporting results, entertainment and visibility are connected to each other in the business plan of the founder of RedBird Capital. To avoid distractions, Cardinale will be there to remind everyone.
In November, Milan beat PSG in the Champions League (Cardinale was there). Rennes have 19 points less that them in the Ligue 1 standings, which is why nothing but a victory over the two games will be acceptable.
The Europa League final is on May 22nd in Dublin, and four days later Milan will close the season against Salernitana. The San Siro crowd could sign off 2023-24 with an underwhelming game, or they could have a trophy to show off.
