Andrea Pirlo announces that Matthijs de Ligt won’t be available against Porto and is convinced his future does not depend on tomorrow’s game.
The Old Lady host Porto in the decider of the Champions League last 16 stage after their 2-1 defeat in Portugal.
“We need a very technical game. We face a compact team, that play with two tight lines,” Pirlo said at a press conference.
Andrea Pirlo announces that Matthijs de Ligt won’t be available against Porto and is convinced his future does not depend on tomorrow’s game.
The Old Lady host Porto in the decider of the Champions League last 16 stage after their 2-1 defeat in Portugal.
“We need a very technical game. We face a compact team, that play with two tight lines,” Pirlo said at a press conference.
“There will be little time and space to think. We’ll need a lot of technique, we must have the patience to make them run from one part to another.”
Matthijs de Ligt joined the team for this morning’s training session, but won’t be available tomorrow.
“Everyone is feeling quite well.
“De Ligt warmed up with the team this morning but trained separately from the group. The others are all available, not 100 per cent fit, but it’s already a good thing to have them.
“Chiellini is feeling well, I think he will be available tomorrow.
“Arthur could start, hoping he is going to last for a while.”
“McKennie is feeling fine. He still has a little problem [at his hip]. We know he can’t play the whole game and we’ve been trying to manage him in the best way.
“Morata keeps improving because he is ambitious and intelligent. He always tries to find the best solutions, he likes to study his opponents and that’s a very good thing for a player like him.”
What impact does he expect from Cristiano Ronaldo?
“These are Cristiano’s games, he’s always proved it. He followed a special training program these days, he is serene and is looking forward to playing.”
How did he convince Bernardeschi to play as a left-back?
“I spoke to Bernardeschi this summer. I met him on holiday and I told him I was thinking to let him play as a left-back, which is a role that suits him and his qualities.
“He said he was available to do it, but we didn’t have much time to try him in training. Now he is convinced he can do it and we are going to continue.
“He can start the game tomorrow, but others can do it too.”
Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri had been sacked after facing early eliminations from the competition. Does Pirlo think his job depends on tomorrow’s match?
“If I thought so, I wouldn’t be here. I know it’s an important game, but I focus on one game at a time. The club will decide my future, depending on the results.
“I work day by day, I know my project and the club’s project
“This game is like a final for us. We need to turn the tie around. It’s an open result and we must be clear-minded.
“We watched the first leg many times. We had planned to play differently. We made a mistake at the beginning of the game, and the match changed.
“We’ll try to learn from the mistakes we made two weeks ago,” Pirlo added.
“We are studying Porto, we know they can use different systems.
“We know we can qualify for the next stage, without underestimating Porto’s quality. We must think we can qualify for the quarter-finals.”