Pioli: ‘Milan will change against Chelsea’

Milan boss Stefano Pioli says the Rossoneri will ‘show something different’ against Chelsea and reveals Junior Messias will be available tomorrow.

The Serie A champions return to the pitch after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Juventus in Serie A.

They host Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, one week after their 3-0 loss against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

“It’s fantastic to play in front of our fans, they give us great support, they are an extra weapon for us,” Pioli said at a press conference as quoted by Milannews.

“We want to prove that the defeat was just a case, not normality. We were disappointed with the performance in London. We must learn from our mistakes and do better.”

Charles De Ketelaere has been ruled out due to a minor injury, but Junior Messias partially returned to group training this morning, so he will be available against the Premier League giants tomorrow.

“Charles has had a muscle issue, tomorrow he won’t be available and it’s hard to see him back on Sunday; Messias will be called up against Chelsea,” said Pioli.

“We need a high-level performance against a strong team. We should not be worried, tomorrow is another match and we must try to be at our level.”

Will Milan have a more defensive approach tomorrow?

“It could be, but it’s not sure. It depends on the assessment we made after the previous games. I have my ideas, tomorrow, we’ll show something different.”

Chelsea and Milan have three points in Group E, one less than leaders RB Salzburg.

“It’s a balanced group, but we should not look at it. We must think about the result without wasting energy.”

Barcelona loanee Sergiño Dest disappointed against the Blues last week and is not expected to start tomorrow. Pioli was asked if his development could be similar to the one of Diogo Dalot who slowly became a starter during his one-year spell at Milan in 2020-21.

“I don’t know if they can be compared,” the Rossoneri boss admitted.

“Dest was accustomed to a different style, he needs time to adapt, but I believe in his qualities. His moment will come soon.”