Ahead of the game tomorrow in matchday 8 of the Serie A against Hellas Verona, Stefano Pioli, AC Milan's coach, Stefano Pioli, spoke like this to the media in the press conference:
"The stop? It was like all stops. All of us met together only yesterday. However, I saw the right concentration. Verona are a good team, we must be careful."
On the general vibe and mood at Milanello:
"The team has not forgotten the great performance in Bergamo. We have a clear idea of what we have done. Tomorrow we will face another very aggressive opponent, we will need great quality and a lot of physical energy."
On Ibrahimovic:
"He's better, he started working on the pitch, he trained with the group yesterday. Tomorrow's training will be important, then we'll decide whether to call him or not. His condition is improving."
On Giroud:
"He trained well, he overcame the back problem. Tomorrow he will be there."
Will Tatarusanu start the match tomorrow?
"Tatarusanu will be starting tomorrow. He is a great professional, here he is appreciated by everyone."
On Davide Calabria:
"He's fine, he's been training with us for three days. He'll be there tomorrow."
On Mirante:
"Mirante needs an extra week of preparation, but I'm happy with his arrival. I thank the club, we needed another player. He's a serious guy and a great professional."
On players who returned from their respective national teams:
"They are doing well. Between yesterday and today, we also played with each other to see everyone's condition."
Will Ballo-Touré play tomorrow?
"He returned from the national team in good condition. He had his time to adapt, against Venezia he was a bit fearful, but now he has grown. He is more inclined to attack than to defend, but he is also growing in the defensive phase. He needs time to understand new concepts", declared coach Pioli.
On Brahim Diaz:
"During the break I saw him well, but today he was a bit unwell. Let's see tomorrow."
On Krunic:
"His recovery is very important to us. He started this season well. He is one of those who have grown the most. He can also be an attacking midfielder."
On Mike Maignan:
"Unfortunately these are uncontrollable things. We are very sorry for him, but yesterday we saw him well. His entry into the team was positive, but we have maximum confidence in Tatarusanu."
Pioli comments on the 'bad luck':
"Bad luck exists for people who feel unlucky. It is not like that for us, our group wants to overcome all difficulties and use these difficulties to prove our worth."
What does it take to beat Verona?
"The obstacles will be many, it is a team that is good in terms of legs and head. They play attacking football, we will have to exploit their mistakes. They press a lot, we will have to move well and at the right times. We will need great continuity in the match. It is true that direct clashes are important, but it is also essential not to lose points with the smaller teams. Coach Igor Tudor is continuing with what Juric did last year. Barak is very physical, Caprari is good in one on one situations, Simeone, I coached him in Florence and he is a good striker. We will have to be better than them tomorrow."
