Giacomo Bonaventura shrugs off Milan’s travel problems – “we have to think about playing and not let it become an excuse”.
The Rossoneri were due to fly out to Doha for the Supercoppa Italiana on Tuesday, but their flight was delayed by 24 hours due to technical problems.
Opponents Juventus did arrive in Qatar on Tuesday night, with Diavolo CEO Adriano Galliani lamenting a “sporting disadvantage”.
Giacomo Bonaventura shrugs off Milan’s travel problems – “we have to think about playing and not let it become an excuse”.
The Rossoneri were due to fly out to Doha for the Supercoppa Italiana on Tuesday, but their flight was delayed by 24 hours due to technical problems.
Opponents Juventus did arrive in Qatar on Tuesday night, with Diavolo CEO Adriano Galliani lamenting a “sporting disadvantage”.
“We wish we could have left a day earlier, we’d have acclimatised better,” Bonaventura admitted in an interview with Tuttosport.
“The fact remains that we’ll have a day less to acclimatise. The club has said its part, now it’s up to us players, we have to think about playing and not let it become an excuse.
“A disadvantage? I think that’s exaggerated, this thing happened and we have to use it to put a little more anger out there on the pitch. We’ll transform it into something positive.
“We’ve put in performances, even great ones. Juve remain a powerhouse, both domestically and in Europe.
“We’re structured differently, but it’s not for nothing that this is a one-off game, if we’re at 100 per cent we can definitely stand up to Juve. We don’t start already beaten.
“Juve are difficult to stop, but if we play aggressively and keep the ball well we can do it. They have players who can make the difference even without much space, but we’re not just a sparring partner.
“We’ll try to put in a high-level performance and hope we find them on an off-day. I think it can happen, it’s not impossible and we’ll try.”
Bonaventura has agreed a renewal, but is waiting for approval from prospective new owners Sino-Europe Sports.
“With the current ownership there are no problems. I hope the new owners will have the same consideration for me. I’m just focused on the pitch.”