Leonardo Bonucci thanked Milan fans and promised “one final push to enter Europe by the front door” by beating Fiorentina.
It kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Playing in Europe is always important. Granted, the Champions League has a different aura to it, but the Europa League deserves respect,” Bonucci told Milan TV.
Leonardo Bonucci thanked Milan fans and promised “one final push to enter Europe by the front door” by beating Fiorentina.
It kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Playing in Europe is always important. Granted, the Champions League has a different aura to it, but the Europa League deserves respect,” Bonucci told Milan TV.
“We saw this season there were very strong sides who played all the way, above all winners Atletico Madrid. They came down from the Champions League, had the right attitude and won the trophy. They must set the example for us.
“This term has given us some valuable experiences, especially the two games against Arsenal with players who in a way were more important than ours, but also showed us we can compete with them.”
Milan are already qualified for the Europa League, but there’s a big difference between sixth going straight into the group stage and seventh place leading to the preliminary rounds from July.
“Fiorentina lost to Cagliari last week, but have in general been on good form and found a new unity after the terrible tragedy of losing Davide Astori.
“We expect a tough game on Sunday, the result is not to be taken for granted and we’ll need the best Milan to get a result.
“The fans have shown their closeness to us and they are without equal. In the moment when we struggled in terms of both performance and result, they were by our side, let us feel their affection and we’ll repay the supporters with one final push for the campaign, so we can enter Europe via the front door.
“I thank the fans for this season and promise a final effort to give them and Milan an important campaign next year.”