Stefano Pioli previewed the Bologna match earlier today: “The last 48 hours have been normal: we evaluated the performance and got back to work on the pitch, focusing on tomorrow’s game. We will think about the Champions League in two weeks.”
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic needs to play and practice. His minutes are increasing. I have yet to decide who will start between him and Olivier Giroud. They can not feature together at the moment, maybe they will be able to when both fully fit. Frank Kessié has the flu and is unavailable. Ante Rebic has not recovered. Pietro Pellegri is also out.”
Pioli addressed the numerous absences: “It is not a difficult time; it happens during a season. I have a strong and complete roster that can make up for it. We will field a competitive lineup tomorrow as well.”
Pioli will be coaching his 100th Serie A game with Milan tomorrow: “I was not aware of that. Clearly, it is nice to reach such milestone and be part of this club. I am comfortable with everybody here. We have to focus on the present and not the future. The season is still long, and we need to find continuity.”
“I think that the players recovered nicely. The Porto game was mediocre on our part in terms of ball-handling and defensive solidity. But we have understood what did not work and prepared some adjustments.”
Pioli was asked whether Milan should focus solely on Serie A now: “That is not our mentality. We will always give our 100 percent. It is better to start a difficult journey rather than stay home altogether.”
“Samu Castillejo and Fikayo Tomori are fine, and I will decide tomorrow whether to start them. Davide Calabria can play on the left-wing, but I prefer him on the right.”