AC Milan ambassador Daniele Massaro has stated that the Europa League now represents the ‘primary objective’ for the club, while the game against Roma will be separate to anything that has come before in the league.
Milan beat Slavia Praha 7-3 on aggregate to reach the quarter-finals of the competition, and the draw took place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, today.
There were certainly some teams that looked like fierce opponents on paper such as Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool, while the final eight also means that you can draw teams from the same league.
As it turned out, Milan were the first ball out and they got domestic rivals Roma, with the winner of Bayern Leverkusen versus West Ham potentially awaiting in the semi-finals.
Baresi usually attends the draws but could not due to being at an event, so it was Massaro who was present in Nyon representing Milan and he spoke to Sky (via MilanNews).
Your thoughts on the draw?
“We know our opponent well. There were Italian teams, there was this danger. It will be another match because we are not in the league, but in a European competition.”
How do you judge Milan’s current moment?
“Many players have grown, we have recovered several injured players. We will have to prepare well because the Europa League is our primary objective.”
De Rossi has done a great job so far at Roma…
“I’m not in the Roma dressing room, but he is working very well. He is showing great personality and has the trust of the players.”
You played for a season at Roma…
“After the first Scudetto with Sacchi, in the following season I played in Rome with Liedholm. Then I returned to Milan. I have good memories of that year, there were many great players. They were interesting months, I knew that if I did well I could return to Milan.”
What are your thoughts on Milan’s defensive record?
“We had several injuries. We conceded some goals due to distractions. Pioli is working well, we have recovered the injured players, who will no longer make certain mistakes.”
