On Wednesday AC Milan will face Napoli for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in front of what should be a sold out San Siro crowd, and Stefano Pioli needs Rafael Leao to be at his best.
MilanNews write how at the beginning of the season the idea of getting to the final eight in the competition and possibly beyond seemed like a dream, but with a domestic rival to play over two legs there is a real possibility of a final four spot.
Leao ended his two and a half month goal drought during the league meeting against Napoli last Sunday with a terrific brace, topped off by perhaps his best performance of the season, or at least on a par with the 3-2 derby win.
Napoli will have seen what happened at the Maradona and will be intent on not giving him anywhere near the same amount of space, but it is one thing to plan for it and another to execute.
In terms of his renewal, Milan would like to find an agreement with the Portuguese before the end of the season, but it won’t be easy. To think about extending the contract three days before the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League is useless: focus must instead be on the pitch.
