For the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, Milan-Roma will be on the field from 9pm.
Eve:
One hundred and eighty minutes worth a season. Milan faces Roma at San Siro in yet another Italian derby on the European road. Last year they faced Napoli and Inter in the Champions League, now it's De Rossi's Roma turn, in a Europa League quarter-final which "will also decide the final evaluations", admits Stefano Pioli in the press conference. Two delicate and treacherous matches that will affect the future of the coach and the club in general.
But in Milanello, in the rain and wind that are more autumnal than spring, you can breathe serenity, concentration and a great desire to assert yourself. "We are in a good moment, yes, but now comes the most important one which will also decide the final evaluations.
It is the moment in which we must demonstrate our strength. The moment in which we demonstrate that the path we have had, between ups and downs, It definitely improved us." Pioli is excited, he has the semi-finals within reach and he doesn't want to let them slip away. The team is doing well both mentally and physically, fresh from the record of five consecutive successes in the championship and with Rafael Leao determined to win the match against Dybala. There is confidence in one's abilities, so much so that both the Rossoneri coach and Ismael Bennacer - sitting next to him in the conference - deny a technical gap between the greats of Europe and Milan. "We're not that far away, last year we reached the semi-final of the Champions League - recalls the coach -, yesterday's match between Real and City was of a fantastic technical level but both teams made important errors in the first goals conceded. However they continued to play with mentality and even overcame the difficulties. We cannot think of neutralizing Roma completely. We cannot lose faith if on some occasions they get the better of them. On paper, both Milan and Roma can put on a show ".
The match at San Siro is uncertain. The Roma faced and beaten in the championship is no longer there. De Rossi has changed the face and attitude of the Giallorossi group. "It's another story, another way of playing, of understanding the game - explains Pioli - with other positions on the pitch. We didn't talk about and we didn't review the championship matches but we concentrated on the new positions and the new concepts that De Rossi and opponents".
The atmosphere will also be different compared to the championship. There is great anticipation in the Rossoneri environment. Gerry Cardinale is also expected at San Siro to watch the match and then return to the United States. A victory could soften the judgment of Red Bird's number one who has reiterated several times that he is not satisfied with Milan's season. "It's one of the most important matches of the season. We are ready and prepared physically and mentally. It will be a great challenge", assures Bennacer. A first round to win for the Rossoneri so as to arrive at the Olimpico next week with an important advantage and half a ticket to the semi-finals already in their pocket.