Gennaro Gattuso admits Milan face Udinese amid an injury crisis, but warns that cannot be “an alibi. We need to play as a team.”
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.30 GMT, click here for a match preview.
The Rossoneri have numerous problems, missing Hakan Calhanoglu, Lucas Biglia, Giacomo Bonaventura, Mattia Caldara and Davide Calabria.
Gennaro Gattuso admits Milan face Udinese amid an injury crisis, but warns that cannot be “an alibi. We need to play as a team.”
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.30 GMT, click here for a match preview.
The Rossoneri have numerous problems, missing Hakan Calhanoglu, Lucas Biglia, Giacomo Bonaventura, Mattia Caldara and Davide Calabria.
“On Wednesday Calhanoglu grit his teeth to play against Genoa and that is to be appreciated,” said Gattuso in his Press conference.
“He tried training yesterday, but felt pain in his ankle, so needs three or four days to rest. Calabria tried, but he has pain when changing direction.
“We’ve lost a few players and need to be ready to play as a team. We struggled so hard to reach the Champions League zone in the table and now we hope to stay there. Victories help keep the momentum going, we’ve got to keep pushing.
“Udinese can cause us a lot of problems and we still have some fatigue from Wednesday against Genoa. I hope to see more determination and hunger tomorrow.
“I’ve always had problems in Udine and expect it to be the same on Sunday. We’ve got to put the alibi of injuries away and be ready for a side that will be very aggressive. Udinese believe in themselves and we’ve got to be prepared.”
The injury crisis means Riccardo Montolivo is back in the Milan squad for the first time this season and Gattuso denied rumours of a personality clash.
“What irritates me the most is this sort of gossip. Montolivo has never been frozen out, he always trained with the team and then I make my choices.
“The club knows what I think, so if he was called up today, it’s because there are so many injuries. If he proves himself ready, then I don’t close the door on anyone. I had no problem with Montolivo, I simply had to make some choices.
“When you manage to win three or four in a row, it helps your confidence to grow. This team is eager to work hard and we’ve got to ensure we don’t let the momentum slip from our fingers. Mistakes can happen, but we mustn’t get frightened when something goes wrong.”