FONSECA: "WE ARE IN A GOOD SHAPE, I'M CONFIDENT"

Let's mark the end of 2024 in style and put ourselves in the best possible situation for the new year. AC Milan v Roma is one of the games on matchday 18 of the Serie A, a fixture that Coach Fonseca has introduced in a press conference in Milanello, streamed on AC Milan Official App and Milan TV.

THOUGHTS ON ROMA
"They're a big club, they have good players and a brilliant coach who has won lots. Returning to Italy and facing them is a special thing for me. I have friends at Roma, but when the game begins it will be just like the others, for the entirety of the 90 minutes my thoughts will focus solely on winning. I am feeling very positive after the training session today, the team are doing well and have worked well. I am confident and positive."  

THE INJURY SITUATION
"Pulisic is doing well, but during his recovery process in the last two days, we found that he had an ankle problem, so he won't be available. Loftus-Cheek is doing much better and he could be an option after this match. Musah and Leão are further behind in their recovery but we hope to have them for the Supercoppa. Morata is doing well and is ready to play, the same goes for Bennacer: he is very motivated, he doesn't have 90 minutes in the tank yet but he is ready and he will play".

THE RETURN OF ISMA
"I am really happy with his recovery. He's working really hard and has brought a lot of energy to the team. I think that he will be important for the group, also with his aggressiveness in training. Bennacer could be very important for us in this stage of the season". 

ON HERNÁNDEZ AND JIMÉNEZ
"Theo needs to recover physically, we've spoken a lot and worked together in the past couple of days, I have a good feeling about him: we will see how he is doing. Jiménez is different to Leão: Rafa is stronger when it comes to one-on-one situations, Álex perhaps focuses more on assists or crosses, but he knows how to take individual initiatives. One thing is for certain: Jiménez will play, either as a winger of full-back". 

THE FORM OF TOMORI AND CHUKWUEZE
"Fik is the fastest defender in the team and is a true professional, essential for all of us. Whether he plays or not, he works in the same way, which is important for me. He's never changed his attitude depending on the amount of minutes he's playing. He is a crucial player. Chukwueze is a player who works a lot for the team, someone who sacrifices a lot. It's never easy taking on the role as the fifth defensive man, but he's doing well. He's lacking something in his final decision making, I think that he could be more decisive. He needs to improve and play a  part in the big moments: we expect him to contribute more to the team in the final third." 

GOALS FOR 2025
"I want to win and bring AC Milan to a position in the league which truly reflects our qualities. I ask the team for a consistent attitude: we have shown what we're capable of in difficult matches, but we don't always approach every game in the same way. We need consistency in tackling every challenge and opponent. We have to change this so that we avoid dropping points where we shouldn't. This is an important goal, I am confident that we will find the right path". 

Tickets are available for AC Milan v Cagliari, AC Milan v Girona and AC Milan v Parma: see you at San Siro!