AC MILAN AT THE VÉLODROME
Focus
After games against FC Köln, ZTE and Wolfsberger AC, the difficulty level is increasing. On Sunday at 18:00 CEST, the Rossoneri take on newly-appointed Igor Tudor's Olympique Marseille at the legendary Stade Vélodrome. A mainstay of French football, OM are a tough side to face and will be taking part in the Champions League this season after finishing runners-up to PSG in Ligue 1 in the last campaign.
It is, therefore, a key test for the Rossoneri as they look to build up a head of steam ahead of Serie A matchday 1 against Udinese on 13 August. AC Milan looked at their best against WAC in Klagenfurt and will be hoping for a repeat performance on the south coast of France. At the Véldrome, you aren't just playing against OM, but a 60,000 crowd of fervent supporters of Les Olympiens.
It's a tie with a European flavour. Marseille, under Jorge Sampaoli, reached the UEFA Conference League semi-final last season, where they were knocked out by Feyenoord. Furthermore, the most recent meeting between AC Milan and OM was in the Champions League group stage in 2009/10. Igor Tudor will also be able to call upon various players, who know Serie A, such as Arek Milik, Cengiz Ünder, Pau López, Pol Lirola, Gerson and Kevin Strootman.
AC Milan will play their penultimate pre-season friendly in a hostile atmosphere, which should prepare them well for competitive football. Full fitness? Not yet, but we're getting there and there will be no shortage of motivation.
Tickets are available for AC Milan v Udinese and AC Milan v Bologna: see you at San Siro!
