AC Milan will enter tonight’s second leg of their Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan nursing the bruises from a 2-0 loss in the first leg. The woes of AC Milan were only worsened after an embarrassing defeat at lowly Spezia on Saturday, which ended with the team and coach Stefano Pioli gathering in front of the away crowd and having an animated discussion. AC Milan will enter tonight’s second leg of their Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan nursing the bruises.
Pioli and his players had their heads dropped in shame as Milan’s die-hard ultras shouted words of support, with the expectation that their words may provide something that was lacking in the first game. The Milan team then went into the locker room as the Curva Sud yelled in their native Italian “we want 11 lions”
Despite the fact that Milan’s performance in Europe this season has been superior to that of their previous 15 seasons, the club is in danger of not qualifying for the Champions League the following season due to their declining standing in Serie A. There is a very real possibility that we may suffer the same fate as we did in the Supercoppa final, which was a 3-0 loss to Inter.
Pioli did not lose his upbeat attitude, especially in light of the information that Rafael Leao would be able to make his way back into the lineup. Leao provided an assist on both of Milan’s goals in their quarterfinal matchup against Napoli, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for Milan on aggregate. Milan, who have won seven consecutive European Championships, were woefully lacking in cutting edge without Leao last week.
“We’re playing a match which could make history for us, we need to believe that we can beat Inter,” Pioli said on Saturday. “We’re playing a match which could make history for us.” “In our most recent two matches, we haven’t been good enough, but we are capable of playing much better.”
Inter, on the other hand, has a stronger chance of becoming the first Italian team to compete in the final since Juventus played Real Madrid six years ago. The Nerazzurri have won seven games in a row, making them the favorite.
Simone Inzaghi would not give space for complacency, and he emphasized the significance of the second leg by declaring that it would be “one of the most important matches” in the club’s history. This would indicate that there is no room for complacency.
“As a coach, I approach each match in the exact same manner. We are aware that the match tomorrow is one of the most significant in Inter’s whole history. Tomorrow, we are aware that we have an advantage that is well-deserved, but we won’t only have to handle it; instead, we’ll have to play the Inter style, keeping in mind that we have a formidable squad up front.
“Tomorrow I have no doubts, the supporters have always been with us in the good times and the bad times,” said the athlete.
“We are aware of who we will compete against, and we are also aware that our performance thus far has been outstanding. We are prepared to compete against an opponent of this caliber.”