Ahead of the clash against Stade Rennes this evening, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the task at hand. He assured that the Rossoneri want to make it as far as possible in the Europa League.
Compared to the game against Napoli, Pioli has made three changes to the starting XI as Alessandro Florenzi replaces the injured Davide Calabria at the back. There is also a new midfield tandem for this clash, with Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders replacing Yacine Adli and Ismael Bennacer.
In an interview with Sky Italia ahead of the game, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli shared his thoughts on the game and Milan’s Europa League adventure as a whole. He also explained his selection in midfield, which perhaps surprised some.
On Milan’s season…
“We resume our journey in Europe where we want to be protagonists. We face a difficult opponent, Rennes are doing well, but we want to start our journey in the best way.”
On the fans…
“There were never any doubts about their support. They will push us and we will have to push on the pitch. We will need a match of quality and attention because their counter-attacks are very dangerous.”
On the choices in midfield…
“Adli and Bennacer came out of the last match tired, while Reijnders missed the match due to suspension. The choices are the best for this match.”
On Leao…
“He’s happy both when he scores a goal and when he assists. If he then scores a goal and we win we are all happier.”
The game is scheduled for 21:00 CET and 7-8k away fans are expected at San Siro, which should make for a great atmosphere underneath the floodlights. However, the teams will have to think one more time about the outcome as there will be a second leg next week.
