AC Milan centre-back Simon Kjaer has revealed he is happy to be back on the field after the long pause due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Milan have travelled north to Turin for Friday’s Coppa Italia semi-final return leg, and with the first leg having finished 1-1 at San Siro over three months ago, the Rossoneri know they face the difficult task of having to score an away goal at the Allianz Stadium to try and reach a third final since 2016.
The Rossoneri head into the game with Theo Hernandez, Samu Castillejo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all suspended, while Leo Duarte and Mateo Musacchio are both injured again.
That provides an opportunity for Kjaer who will partner Alessio Romagnoli in the centre of defence, and of course his future is up in the air as his loan deal from Sevilla expires once the season has concluded, with no concrete indication yet as to whether it will be made into a permanent deal.
For now though the Denmark international is focusing on the task at hand.
“It has been a very difficult time, but being back and especially in a big game like this is wonderful,” Kjaer told Rai Sport (via MilanNews).
“We missed football, but in the last few months, there were far more important things at stake. I’m happy to be back on the field, but it has been tough for everyone.
“Any game against Juventus is difficult, we have to put in a great performance to reach the final. We feel very positive and trust we can get a good result here.
“It’s always odd to play in an empty stadium, we miss the fans of course, but this is the situation and we have to make do.”
