Head coach Stefano Pioli spoke on Prime Video before the Newcastle-Milan match in the Champions League.
These are his statements:
Is it a possible mission?
"It must be so, we must think so. The opponent here is tough, intense. We must believe in our qualities, in our characteristics to be able to win this game because we have only this chance."
Is it a physical and mental game? Pioli replied:
"I believe it's very mental, you have to be present in these matches. We know the intensity they will bring, we know we might face difficulties. The matches are long, they change, we have to stay in it until the end. In the first leg, we couldn't score, but we managed to put them in difficulty."
Is the first leg a bit of a regret?
"Yes, but this is not the time to talk about these situations. At the end of the game, we will evaluate our entire journey in the group. There were situations we should have exploited better in all the matches. I believe that only in Paris did the team, in quotes, deservedly lose against an opponent who played better than us. In the other matches, I think the level was high, close to our opponents, but due to many small details that at these levels can make the difference, we couldn't bring home other results. Now we have to focus only on being more effective in both penalty areas, those are the situations we paid dearly for in this Champions League."
What are the dangers posed by Newcastle?
"They are a very vertical team, with quality players like Joelinton who gets involved a lot. They have great physicality, with a lot of height on set-pieces. It's a complete team, we have to pay attention to all defensive situations."
On the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pioli commented in the following way:
"I've heard about it, he's not here with us, and I don't believe he has spoken with the guys about the match. A new chapter of his career begins; he will do it as he has always done: with intelligence, respect, and great motivation. He will be an asset for the club, for the players, for me, and for everything he manages to contribute."
