Ahead of the deciding clash between AC Milan and Inter this evening, Stefano Pioli spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on what is a tough task for the Rossoneri. However, the gaffer is optimistic.
Milan have a mountain to climb after getting outplayed by their city rivals in the first leg, currently down 2-0 on aggregate. They will have to be very good this evening in order to have a chance of reaching the final, in other words.
Speaking to Sky Italia, as cited by SempreMilan.it, Pioli shared his thoughts on what will be a tough but not impossible task for his team. He was also asked about the condition of Rafael Leao, who missed the first leg but starts tonight.
From Milanello to San Siro, what was the journey like?
“There is a desire to put in a performance that is up to our abilities and win the game.”
On Leao and Bennacer…
“He’s doing very well, he’s very motivated. Bennacer is missing, we will play with an extra attacking midfielder instead. We want to be dangerous, compact and score a few goals.”
On Messias over Saelemaekers…
“Between Messias and Saelemaekers, not much changes. Junior gives us some more solutions on set-pieces but Alexis is ready to come off the bench.”
Will it be a super attacker Milan from the start?
“We want to start well, but the game is long and we want to stay in it.”
Did you sleep well?
“I slept well knowing that tonight I could be the happiest manager in the world or the most disappointed one in the world.”
Milan are also struggling in the league and could miss out on Champions League qualification for next season. Reaching the final could thus be another lifeline, and it would also boost the Rossoneri’s confidence for the final three league games.
