Serginho believes that AC Milan can fight for the Scudetto domestically but should not be considered a candidate to win the Champions League.
The former Milan full-back faced Borussia Dortmund twice at the Signal Iduna Park during his time as a Milan player in the 2002-03, and the Brazilian spoke about tonight’s game in an interview with Tuttosport (via PianetaMilan).
He began by discussing the atmosphere that will await the Milan players, given that there will be over 81,000 fans present inside the ground and the vast majority of the squad will meet the ‘Yellow Wall’ for the first time.
“The fans are very warm. And they clearly make themselves felt. But given the current level of the Rossoneri players, I believe they are also prepared to face the yellow wall,” he said.
“Think that when it was our turn, there were many players who liked to experience these moments To thus face not only your opponents on the field, but also to beat the fans against them. If you then win, it is even more pleasing.”
Serginho was asked if there are differences between the atmosphere created at the Westfalenstadion compared to San Siro, which is also known for being a very difficult place to go.
“It’s very difficult at the Meazza too: the Milan fans make themselves heard both in the positive and negative moments. In Dortmund, on the other hand, they celebrate more, more chaos with smoke bombs and gigantic flags.
“But the passion of both the fans remain enormous, so much so that just as it is not easy to play at Borussia’s home ground, the same goes for San Siro.”
As the squad began their training session at Milanello yesterday, there was something different coming through the loudspeakers, namely the chants of the Borussia Dortmund fans to try and help the players get used to what will be a red hot atmosphere.
“The coach must have wanted to motivate his team more, because many of the boys are young and perhaps will never have faced such a red hot fan base away from San Siro,” Serginho said.
“It’s a sort of alert, but the motivation must already exist in the players. Let me explain: if I am not prepared to play such an important match, it means that I am not Milan-worthy. Now is their moment, the ideal one to demonstrate their qualities and talent.”
The Brazilian went on to talk about Milan’s current moment, including how they have responded following the derby defeat and how the new signings from the summer have adapted.
“Everyone talks about the 1-5 in the derby because we know the importance of that match, for Milan’s tradition, a match where something more is expected.
“Given the way it was lost, doubts arise. But If we then analyse the Rossoneri’s start to the season, it’s positive. If they had lost against Bologna or Torino, all this mess wouldn’t have emerged. Milan are a young group, time will tell where the Rossoneri can get to.
“Tonight’s match is already an important one: you will be able to see the Rossoneri’s quality. In the first Champions League match the ball didn’t want to go in, but the Rossoneri played well. We hope to win.
“I really like Okafor, he has a lot of room for growth, but he’s strong. Reijnders had done very well at AZ. Pulisic had already shown important qualities with Chelsea.”
Finally, he spoke about how far Milan can go domestically and in European competitions.
“In Serie A the Rossoneri are playing against Inter and Napoli, while in Europe I see Milan behind teams like Real and City. They are certainly not the favorites for the final victory here.”
