AC Milan’s Mateo Musacchio has stressed the important of defending as a collective unit ahead of Sunday’s season opener against Udinese.
The Rossoneri kick off their 2019-20 campaign at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, with the team under the guidance of new head coach Marco Giampaolo.
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Milan will be looking to go one better than last season and secure a return to the Champions League in 2020-21, and Musacchio will have an important role to play in that.
With Mattia Caldara out until October as he continues his recovery from a ligament injury, and Leo Duarte not quite integrated into the fold fully yet, Musacchio will partner captain Alessio Romagnoli against the Bianconeri.
“It is very important that we start the season on the right foot with a victory, even though we know it won’t be easy in this stadium,” the defender told Milan TV, as transcribed by Football Italia.
“We worked really hard in pre-season and are ready for what comes next.”
On stopping Udinese’s danger men Kevin Lasagna and Rodrigo De Paul, he added: “It’s a matter of working collectively rather than just the defenders, it requires the whole team to help out.
“At the same time, all of Udinese are dangerous and not just those two players.”
You can read the starting XI for the game against Udinese here, as well as our match preview.
