Stefano Pioli has confirmed that Rafael Leao is fit and ready to start against Newcastle in the crucial Champions League clash on Wednesday night, a game which the coach knows Milan have to win.
Milan will go into their final group stage game at St James’ Park ranked in fourth place, but can still qualify for the Round of 16 if they beat Newcastle and if Paris Saint-Germain lose to Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
Pioli said during his press conference that he and his team are fully aware of the situation and understand what needs to happen on Wednesday night.
Reporters asked what he had said to his team during a huddle at the end of their training session on Tuesday evening.
Pioli replied: “It was a very simple message because we have already spoken a lot this morning. We have one objective, there is only one possibility, we have to win.
“We know what awaits us, who the opponents are and what the atmosphere will be like. It’s the first real shoot-out of the season.”
When asked if this was the most important game of his Milan career, Pioli responded: “It’s very important, we have already played a lot of games at the highest level, but as far as this season is concerned, it is definitely the most important.”
In positive news for the Rossoneri, star forward Leao is set to be involved from the beginning. “He’s fine, he will play from the start,” Pioli said.
“We know the importance of this match and the importance of remaining in Europe. We are all expecting to play a great match against a very tough set of opponents. We must make this our moment.”
There were plenty of questions asked about Sandro Tonali, who moved from Milan to Newcastle in the summer. Pioli insists that he was completely unaware of any sort of gambling addiction while Tonali was playing in Serie A.
“There are no doubts about his footballing qualities. Newcastle have certainly signed an excellent player. I think I have a fairly open relationship with the players. I try to talk to them about everything, but we don’t always know what they have going on.”
“I think the moment they bought a player like him, Newcastle signed a deal. No-one could have predicted what happened afterwards.”
There were also words on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is set to return to the club for a third time in a role behind the scenes.
“We spoke yesterday. In my opinion, he has always been at the top, he has faced every challenge with intelligence. He will certainly be of massive value and will be a great resource for the whole club.”