Paolo Maldini admits Milan are ‘satisfied’ with their Champions League group and look forward to facing Chelsea. ‘What matters to us is to keep raising the bar and compete for something bigger.’
The Rossoneri were the only Italian side to be top seeds in the draw thanks to their Serie A title victory.
They were paired with Premier League giants Chelsea, Austrians RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia.
“It is a group that sees us as top seeds, so on paper might seem less difficult compared to last season,” Maldini told Milan TV.
“There are always going to be dangers. Salzburg are a strong team who might not have a great history, but are still difficult to face, while we took on Dinamo Zagreb a few years ago in a preliminary round.
“The favourites are Milan and Chelsea. It’s good to have a strong team in the group with you, as it can make qualification a little simpler. On paper, we are satisfied with the group.”
The Diavolo finished bottom of the group last season after some very unlucky results and crashed out of Europe by Christmas, although it did allow a thin squad to focus entirely on Serie A.
“The objective is to improve ourselves and finish in the top two. That’s obviously easy to say and less to achieve, we’ll see if we deserve it on the pitch. What matters to us, as a club, team and fans, is to keep raising the bar and compete for something bigger. The more we do that, the more we raise the visibility of the brand, the income from sponsors and therefore the quality of players.”
The Champions League draw was held in Istanbul because that is where the Final will be held this season, after the original venue was changed due to security fears in May.
This is a special place for Rossoneri fans and bad memories, as it is where they were leading Liverpool 3-0 at half-time only to lose on penalties.
Maldini was asked if the fact the Final was in Istanbul would spur Milan on to revenge?
“Dreams help you to have objectives and give your best to achieve things that might even seem beyond you. At this moment, we are not yet ready to dream that big, but whoever faces us won’t be happy about it.
“We have a history at this club, a team that is ready and has worked together for some time, a marvellous stadium. We are in an intermediary step right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream.”