PIOLI: "WE'LL NEED TO BE MENTALLY READY"

After two victories away to Juventus and Torino, the Rossoneri are preparing for their return to home action as they look to seal their spot in the top four. Their upcoming opponents are Leonardi Semplici’s Cagliari, who are on an excellent run of form and looking for three vital points in their fight to avoid the drop. Both teams will thus be highly motivated. 

On the eve of the showdown, Coach Pioli held a press conference from Milanello, with his words being broadcast live on the AC Milan Official App. The Coach started off by sending his personal praise to the AC Milan Women’s team and Coach, Maurizio Ganz, for their historic qualification for the Women’s Champions League.

PREPARATIONS 
"In these present moments, it’s important that we stay focused and motivated. Tomorrow’s game could cap off an exceptional season, regarding both performances and results. We’ve always played well, with a good balance in the side, and we will need to carry that forward into tomorrow’s game."

CAGLIARI
"It’ll be a tough game, as they will be dogged and determined on the pitch. They have some quality players and will be motivated, as we are. We have to aim to be better than our opponents, to create more opportunities than them and give away less. My group of guys are very aware of the challenge, and always understand how to approach games in the right way. They work in a focused manner, always aiming to help each other out and play as a unit. We’ll have to stay compact and put in a top-notch performance.”

NEARLY THERE
"The history of the club tells you that Europe is AC Milan’s home. It’s normal that our expectations are so high, as we are a big club, with a fantastic fanbase behind us. We know how hard we have worked all season, so we just need to be brave and mentally ready. No games are easy in Serie A, so we are prepared to fight tomorrow against a side full of dangerous players. We’ll only be satisfied if and when we achieve our objective."

IBRA
"Ibra is undergoing a careful rehabilitation process, which will allow him to come back 100% fit next season. Today, I saw him after his session with the physios, and he was calm. Tomorrow he will be with us, supporting the team as ever, and we’ll be sad not to have him on the pitch."

THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERYONE    
"Everyone is raising their level, these final two games will decide our fate. On Wednesday evening, Leão, Meïte and Krunić all played decisive roles after coming on. The best possible team will start tomorrow, but substitutions will be crucial because it’ll be our third match in eight days. Dalot? He’s a fantastic professional, truly exceptional. It’s easy to give credit to those who have played more often, but those who have spent less time on the pitch have played a vital role, also in terms of raising the quality of our daily work."

VALUES
"From my first day at Milanello, I’ve always felt that I was in the right place. Here, there’s great support and respect. It’s also a place where there’s a real sense of belonging and professionalism, with work being done by everyone for the good of the Club: these are values that I also share. All of this has always given us the strength to continue to believe in the work we’re doing. We still haven’t achieved our objective, evaluations are always made at the end."

FOCUSING ON TOMORROW
"Despite the defeats to Sassuolo and Lazio, we were aware that we were on the right track. Belief in our work allowed us to not get too downhearted at such a difficult moment, and we never stopped believing in our qualities. When you start from such a solid foundation, it makes dealing with challenging moments easy. Tomorrow, we must only rely on ourselves, the other results will be what they’ll be. We need to play our game and focus on ourselves."

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