Milan director Ricky Massara is ‘proud’ of the squad for continuing to get great Serie A results amid an injury crisis and congratulates Stefano Pioli on his 100th game with the club.
They visit Bologna at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), you can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
“It’s very satisfying, the squad and the coach deserve credit for ensuring the absences are rarely felt. We are proud to have this run of form and hope to stay up there,” Massara told Sky Sport Italia.
There is one boost this evening, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic gets his first start of the season, just weeks after turning 40.
“We are super happy to have Ibrahimovic back from the start. We missed him and his return brings an enormous contribution to the team.”
This is coach Pioli’s 100th official game on the Milan bench and Massara was asked how negotiations are going for a contract extension at San Siro.
“We congratulate Pioli, we are really in sync, have a shared vision and are convinced we can continue our working relationship together for a long time to come.”
There is a midweek round coming up, so the Rossoneri face Torino on Tuesday evening and visit Roma on October 31.
“We’re taking it one game at a time, especially as there are so many fixtures, it would be distracting. We need to focus on Bologna, who have a lot of talented players and a fine coach, so we need the best Milan to get the result.”
Pioli fa 100 col Milan, Massara: “Siamo in sintonia, vogliamo continuare con lui” https://t.co/LAWYrBHJ57
— TUTTOmercatoWEB (@TuttoMercatoWeb) October 23, 2021