PIOLI: "PREPARED AND AMBITIOUS"

February began in the best way possible for the Rossoneri, and after two league wins it's time to focus on another competition. Europa League, first leg of the play-offs: AC Milan welcome the French side, Rennes. It is the very first meeting between the teams, which will be played on Thursday 15 February at 21:00 CET, and was presented in a press conference with Coach Pioli and Matteo Gabbia:

STEFANO PIOLI

STADE RENNAIS
"European football is always demanding. We've had time to study them; SRFC have a lot of talent and play direct football. They can find a moment of magic in an instant and we need to be careful in how we face them. This tie is massive for us. Our aim is to go through and we have a clear idea. We've prepared in the right way."

THE EUROPA LEAGUE
"There are some good teams in this competition. We have to be ambitious but we can't look too far into the future. The tie will be decided in a week and tomorrow's game is a huge one. We go again from the disappointment in Newcastle and we're focusing all of our energy on the Europa League. We know that you need to be at our very best in Europe and that's what we want to do tomorrow night."

TWO-LEGGED TIE
"We need to look at both competitions. I know where we want to finish in the league in terms of points and I know how far we want to go in Europe. I hope to play a lot from here until the end. All of the players will be involved because, for example, with five games in 15 days, it'd be tough for a lot of them to play the full 90 in all of those.

OPTIONS UP TOP
"Making choices and excluding players is always difficult but it's also true that I know that I have players coming off the bench who can change a game. Chukwueze is back with us now; he won't be in the squad tomorrow but I hope he's available for Monza."

CHANGES IN DEFENCE
"I'm fortunate to have a really responsible team; we often discuss things. We've spoken about various topics, one of which was how high our line is so that we can put our opponents under pressure when we want. The team knows our concepts and we decide how to operate on a game-by-game basis.

MATTEO GABBIA

GROWTH IN RECENT MONTHS
"I'm dwelling less on outside noise. I'm focusing on what I need to do as a player and as a pro. I'm pleased with the wins and performances. Consistency at work is the reason for any player's growth, as is experience gained over time."

HIS EXPERIENCE AT VILLARREAL
"It was a big change for me. It was my first experience outside of Italy and this 'forced' me to be braver and play in a different way. I was confident and played more consistently. I had help from players like Raúl Albiol, who gave me some great advice thanks to the fact he speaks Italian."

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM STADE RENNAIS
"They're a good side: direct, with quick and dynamic players. We know what we're up against. We've prepared well for the game."

AC MILAN IN THE DEFENSIVE PHASE
"The basis is as it's always been with Coach Pioli. Then, certain situations can change based on who we're facing and who's playing."

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