PIOLI: "WE NEED TO PLAY IN TURIN WITH OUR HEADS HELD HIGH"

Juventus v AC Milan takes place tomorrow, and today at Milanello, after the final training session Stefano Pioli held a press conference, before the team departed for Turin. Here are all of the Coach’s comments ahead of the big game against the Bianconeri, which will take place at 20:45 CET on Sunday 10 November at the Allianz Stadium. The match will be broadcasted live on the AC Milan Official App, Facebook and on Milan TV:

THE TRIP TO TURIN
"The league table says that we’re a long way off Juventus, but matches always start at 0-0. We need to play with our heads held high; the biggest challenges are also the biggest opportunities. We need to be ready to fight and be combative without ever dropping off. It will require compactness and aggression, and for us to assess every situation well. We’ll need a better performance than the ones we’ve shown so far, with more concentration and fewer errors. A victory would do so much for us, it would help us on a mental level."

JUVENTUS
"They weren’t playing to their max during their first few games, I saw those games live. But they are completely different now, they have quality and physicality, they attack and defend well, but every team has weaknesses because no team is perfect. Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenon, a champion and he can hurt you in a lot of different ways. Whoever is near him tomorrow will need to be excellent to stop him or at least limit his impact."

THE TEAM
"I trust my players, they need be encouraged on the pitch because we’re all linked to the performances and the results. Attitude and intensity make the biggest differences on the pitch, we may be young but we’re not immature. We need to grow as a team. We have experienced players in the dressing room, I see the necessary maturity. We lack conviction and confidence, but that will come with results, which we need to try and get with energetic performances. Change of system? Coaches are brought in to try to new solutions, tomorrow we will see which system will work best."

THE LEAGUE
"Four points in the four games I’ve been here, it’s not a lot. We are almost always on par with our opponents, we’ve played well at times but we’ve lacked precision in the crucial moments. I believe in the principles and concepts of the game, we need to be brave and put our players in the right positions for them to express themselves as best as they can."

ON INDIVIDUALS
"Suso is fine and available. Leão knows that he didn’t come on with the right spirit against Lazio, I spoke to him about it in the week and I hope that he will raise his standards next time out. To get the most out of Piątek, we need to play in the opponent’s box more and we’ve done it at times but we need to get the ball in more attacking situations. Conti is in good shape, he’s one of the best in the squad. Against Lecce, he put in an excellent effort and he has to do well and overcome the hurdles in his way while remaining focused until the very end."

THE FANS
"I ask the fans to support us like they’re doing in order to make it through this difficult period. Against Lazio, the stadium always supported us until the final minute, At the moment, our supporters are one of the few positives."

ON IBRA
"Ibrahimović is a great player and a great professional but the January window is still a long way away."

The official PUMA match kits for the 2019/20 season are available in the AC Milan Online Store!