PIOLI: "ANYTHING IS ACHIEVABLE IF YOU BELIEVE"

A very important match between two teams fighting for a place in the top four. The Rossoneri take on Juventus at the Allianz Stadium, in an attempt to 'avenge' the defeat from the first round at San Siro, and to try to take get closer to qualifying for next season’s Champions League. It will be a difficult and delicate match against a great team. On the eve of the match, Coach Pioli spoke about the game at his press conference, with his words being broadcast live on the AC Milan Official App.

TOMORROW’S MATCH
"Tomorrow evening, we’ll need to try to benefit from everything we’ve done on our journey so far. In doing so, we can prove that we’ve become a mature team. We’ll have to be attentive and pick the right moments as we look to interpret the match successfully, this will be very important. Is this the most exciting, fascinating and perhaps important match? I think so, but dreams are only beautiful if they come true. It’ll be an exciting match, we think we’ve prepared for it in the best way possible."

A SINGLE OBJECTIVE
"At this current time, all the players and everyone at Milanello have a single objective: working for the good of AC Milan. I have no doubts about the professionalism of the players: this isn’t a lazy group but one which is made up of players who have sweated for this shirt and will continue to do so right until the end, irrespective of what the future holds. We’re focused on tomorrow and on giving our all. We’ve spoken about tomorrow’s match and what is required on the pitch, all of us are only concentrating on giving our best against Juventus. Both the mental and physical sides of things are vital. Our motivation levels are at a maximum, and we certainly have the energy to finish the season well. Anything can be achieved if you believe."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MATCH
"Whoever wins will have a great chance to qualify for the Champions League, but it won’t be over following tomorrow night: nine points to play for are a lot. The fact that we have two matches against direct rivals – Juve and Atalanta – means that we’re in charge of our own destiny. However, it’s useless to talk about our upcoming matches: there’s only one game on our minds right now, which is tomorrow’s showdown. This is a six-pointer between two teams that possess quality and important characteristics. In order to pick up an extraordinary result, we need to put in a lot of effort and stay in contention without giving up for 95 minutes."

IBRA AND THE GROUP
"It’s clear just how important Zlatan is for our team. However, he can’t be the only one who can win it for us: we need to show that we’re mature enough to understand the situations that can make the difference. We’re the team that have had the most shots from outside the box but have scored the least, we need to be more compact and show all our qualities out on the pitch. Ibra is part of this."

TACTICS
"As opposed to playing with many attackers, I think it’s important to attack with many players: you need to try to trouble opposition defences. Zlatan won’t be left alone up front. We know we’ll be up against a high-quality team with strong players, but we believe in our abilities. We’ll have to limit their qualities when they’re in possession, and we’ll need to do well when we’re on the ball. If you want to play effective and fast football, movements need to be made at the right times. We did well against Benevento: we moved the ball quickly and gave them few points of reference. This needs to be our objective tomorrow: we’ll be aiming to be unpredictable. If we continually move against a strong defence with experience and physicality like Juve's, we have higher hopes of causing them problems."

TURNING POINT
"Tomorrow will be decisive in terms of demonstrating our progress thanks to our work and showing that we’ve reached high levels. In terms of confidence and the chance to pick up a positive result, we’re fully aware of what we can do. I’ve seen a team that is mentally ready and aware of its capabilities. There’s pressure on both teams, but we wanted to feel pressure like this by raising our expectations. Tomorrow can be a turning point, also with our future in mind."

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