Yesterday, in the press conference, he didn’t reveal much and hid behind a “we’ll see,” but for Sergio Conceição, the temptation to start Christian Pulisic, João Félix, Rafael Leão, and Santiago Giménez from the first minute in tonight’s clash against Feyenoord is very strong.
This morning, the Rossoneri coach will make his final decision. It’s not even a crazy idea, but almost a necessity, given that Milan arrives in Rotterdam with as many as eight absentees (the suspended Musah, the injured Emerson Royal, Florenzi, and Loftus-Cheek, as well as the unregistered Jiménez, Sottil, Bondo, and Jović).
Milan target qualification objective:
As reported this morning by Corriere della Sera, while Milan can no longer afford to make calculations in the league and must take some risks to quickly regain ground in the Champions League race, they are not under a must-win obligation in Europe tonight. Especially since the return leg at San Siro is scheduled in six days. That said, securing qualification already tonight against a Feyenoord side that is not in great form and has suddenly changed its coach in the past few hours wouldn’t be bad at all. It would also allow Conceição to better manage his squad’s energy during these weeks when the Rossoneri will have to play every three days.
Gimenez returns to face his old team, Feyenoord... How will it be like?
The most anticipated player tonight is certainly Santiago, the standout former Feyenoord star who, until just a few days ago, wore the Rotterdam side’s jersey before moving to Milan in the winter transfer window. For the Mexican striker, who scored his first goal for the Rossoneri on Saturday against Empoli, it will be a special night. "For me, Feyenoord is like family," he admitted in recent days, but tonight, there’s little room for nostalgia. Milan wants to return home with a victory and will need his goals as well.
