Fonseca spoke to the press this morning ahead tomorrow's tie at San Siro stadium.
Milan's Champions League starts tomorrow?
"That's what we want. Liverpool and Bayer are among the strongest in Europe, but they were two different games for me: with Liverpool in difficulty, against Bayer we played a great second half showing signs of growth. We must continue to grow, even if Brugge is a difficult game. We must win if we want to continue in the Champions League. It is not decisive, because then there are another 5 games, but it is important tomorrow."
How important is it to recover Leao and Theo?
"They will both play tomorrow from the first minute. What I expect from them is what I expect from everyone else: that they do their best to make Milan win. I expect this, so they play."
Where are you with your growth?
"It's a big change. The first half hour against Udinese was very good, then the expulsion changed things, but I've seen other positive things as far as I'm concerned. What I want for the future is that this attitude can be a normality for the team. Because it's with this attitude that you can build other things, growing and improving."
Is the squad a little short up front? Do you need a striker in January?
"I'm very satisfied with the players I have. It's not normal to have Abraham and Jovic out, but we have Camarda and we believe in him a lot. I don't think we need other players in that position."
How is Gabbia?
"Gabbia tried to train today and will play tomorrow."
The message from Saturday against Udinese is that you have a lot of players you can count on?
"Chukwueze and Okafor are quality players, they played well and with confidence. That's very positive for a coach. I was very pleased with the players on Saturday, because they told me and everyone that we can count on them."
Did you get any answers from the big names too?
"It's hard to talk about individuals when everyone has worked so hard and together. Pulisic and Fofana played a great game. But this should be normal for those who play for Milan."
What is the objective in the Champions League?
"I don't think about the future, in the long term. We didn't win the first two, we just have to think about tomorrow. We don't have to make big calculations."
Milan is one of the teams with the least fouls in Europe and Italy, but it has received many cards...
"I can't tell my players to foul (laughs, ed.). We are a bit saintly... We need to be more what we are: devils! Maybe it's a sign of aggression that we need to improve on. I really like football and the game, but fouling is part of a team's intelligence. We talked about it, because we need to improve on this too. And we need to foul when we need to. Without being violent, there's no need. We need to be intelligent."
Theo captain?
"I haven't decided, I'll think about it today. He trained well these days."
Reijnders with Fofana: yes or no?
"I said so because to see Tijji next to Fofana we don't exaggerate the main characteristics of Reijnders. In certain moments we can see him as number 6, but if we are forward we look at him as an attacking midfielder. In this structure he has the possibility of doing both things, it depends on the area: he does both positions."
Tomorrow for the turning point like in the derby?
"Brugge have a team with great offensive quality. If we look at the game they lost against Dortmund they dominated and created a lot. It is important to defend well, not a lot, but well. They are a team with great offensive quality and on the wings, as well as the midfielder. I think we must be very focused on the defensive phase, we must not leave them the chance to attack because they are very dangerous. Against Dortmund they lost but they created a lot. Like the derby? No, it is different. The competition is different, as are the characteristics of the opponents."
How do you keep the level of determination and intensity as high as on Saturday?
"There's a lot of talk and it seems to me that this is not a problem today. I have to understand what to do to improve the team in terms of attitude, aptitude, desire. That's what I'm doing, I'm more demanding on this."
Pavlovic's performance against Udinese. How did you see it?
"Do you want to know if he'll play with Gabbia tomorrow? (laughs, ed.) No, he won't play. This is a different reality for Pavlovic, it's a different way of playing compared to the one he had in his last club. I think that in the first few games Pavlovic did things well and other things that he has to improve in the defensive phase. We've worked during this time, I think he's grown in this game (with Udinese, ed.). He was balanced, he's someone who always wants to anticipate, he's a physical one. We want a more balanced central defender. I think he's done better, but I also think he needs to grow: he didn't have a game without errors, but he did well. If we make a comparison with his other games he's grown a lot. But there are still things to improve."
Fonseca gives tomorrow's lineup...:
"Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Tomori, Theo; Fofana, Reijnders, Loftus-Cheek; Pulisic, Leao, Morata".