Ahead of the clash between AC Milan and Stade Rennes, Stefano Pioli spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the task at hand. He stated that he expects an energetic home side, pushing to come back from a difficult situation.
Milan are in a good position, having won the first leg 3-0, and are certainly expected to make it through to the Round of 16 of the Europa League. However, whether they will come away with a win tonight or not is an entirely different question.
Speaking to Sky Italia ahead of the game, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli shared his thoughts on the game and what he expects from Rennes tonight. He also spoke about Ismael Bennacer, who is starting tonight and is keen on regaining his pre-injury form.
On the game…
“We start again with a great desire to get through to the next round. We expect an energetic opponent at the start of the clash, but we are prepared for this.”
On Rennes…
“We only played a week ago, Rennes usually takes certain positions on the pitch… To come back from three goals behind, they will probably try to increase the tempo at the start of the game.”
On Bennacer…
“I think he’s reaching a good physical condition, the AFCON took some of that away. He’s well physically and mentally, he’s an important player for us.”
The Rossoneri will be looking to redeem themselves after a disappointing 4-2 loss against Monza at the weekend, missing the opportunity to leapfrog Juventus in the standings. Although they can lose tonight and still go through, this is not something they will want.
More must-reads: