Stefano Pioli explains why Milan have chosen Olivier Giroud to lead the attack against FC Porto rather than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Champions League clash kicks off at San Siro at 17.45 GMT.
“We need to be very precise in our passing and movement to get away from the Porto marking, but at the same time stay solid, because we are up against a very strong opponent,” Pioli told Amazon Prime Italia.
“We know this is an important match, so we must go into it with great determination and belief.”
Pioli has decided to start with Giroud, while Ibrahimovic is on the bench, suggesting the Swede will be chosen to lead the line this weekend in Serie A for the Derby della Madonnina against Inter.
“Giroud is similar to Ibrahimovic in terms of physicality, but can also give us more depth in the final third. We have two excellent centre-forwards and Olivier will start the game, but we’ll see if there’s room for Zlatan during the match.”