Tribal Football

AC Milan coach Fonseca: Leao starts at Real Madrid; honour to face Real Madrid

Carlos Volcano
AC Milan coach Fonseca: Leao starts at Real Madrid; honour to face Real Madrid
AC Milan coach Fonseca: Leao starts at Real Madrid; honour to face Real MadridAction Sports
AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca says they must live up to the club's history at Champions League opponents Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

Fonseca insists there'll be no sense of intimidation at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Milan has a great European tradition...

"You face games like this with great motivation, it's a great opportunity. Real Madrid is the main candidate to win the Champions League. For us it's an opportunity to demonstrate our value, facing the best players without fear of anything, with courage, because we believe we can play a good game."

 

Draw tomorrow a positive result?

"Honestly I always try to convey the desire to win. And tomorrow will not be different, knowing what Real Madrid is. I only think about winning."

 

Will Rafael Leao play?

"He will start tomorrow, we expect him to be able to do what he can do."

 

How much is Alvaro Morata helping Milan?

"Alvaro is a very important player for me, not only as a player but as a professional. He is a very very intelligent player who is doing very well, he is very important for our team. He needs to play, what he is doing for the team is decisive for us. Playing here is special for him, but I expect to have Alvaro as we had him during the season. He worked hard for the team with a lot of energy."

 

Carlo Ancelotti said that Milan has potential...

"Ancelotti is a reference for me. He is the best coach in the world: what he says must be listened to. It is good to hear his thoughts on Milan, I thank him."

 

Have you seen the Clasico?

"I saw Real-Barcelona, ​​it's impossible not to watch it, also because they are teams that I like to watch. Obviously we are a different team, but we used the images of the Clasico to prepare for this match."

 

Does it bother you that everyone is talking about Leao?

"No, honestly, no. I know what is important for me and for the team. It is normal for you to talk about these situations, but I have to follow my own path."

 

Milan with two strikers tomorrow?

"No, because (Tammy) Abraham is not in the best conditions."

 

What kind of season is Theo Hernandez having?

"He's coming back after some physical difficulties, he's better and he can be even better."

 

What do you think about the Ballon d'Or?

"For me, individual awards are not important, but I understand... Decisions must be respected. It's difficult to say who deserves more."

 

What does it mean to play against Ancelotti?

"It's always special, I'm a big fan of Ancelotti, both as a coach and as a person."

 

Is it the European derby?

"The teams that have won the most Champions Leagues will face each other."

 

Does this eve resemble that of the derby that was won?

"It's similar that Milan were not favorites against Inter and they are not tomorrow, but they are totally different games, also because they are opponents with totally different styles of play. We prepared the game differently."