Stefano Pioli reveals Milan asked UEFA and Tottenham to delay kick-off in the Champions League Round of 16 and explains how he made his picks for the starting XI.

It kicks off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.

The first leg ended 1-0 with a Brahim Diaz goal at San Siro, so as away goals no longer count double, any Tottenham win by a one-goal margin would send this Round of 16 tie to extra time.

Both team buses arrived circa 30 minutes late compared to the schedule, much like Borussia Dortmund against Chelsea last night in London.

“We asked for the game to be postponed by 10 minutes, but haven’t had a response yet,” Pioli told Amazon Prime Italia.

“It is an important appointment, we want to get through to the next round and will face this match with great energy.”

Milan are fresh from a 2-1 Serie A defeat to Fiorentina at the weekend, but Pioli shrugs that result off.

“That is a different competition. We focused only on tonight’s match.”

Brahim Diaz and Olivier Giroud can start despite fitness concerns, while Rade Krunic is picked rather than Ismael Bennacer.

Pioli was asked how he made the decisions for his starting XI.

“By choosing the players who are in the best shape.”

Tottenham and Milan are wearing black armbands in honour of former Milan and England assistant manager Italo Galbiati, who died today at the age of 85.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *