Pioli: Milan ‘disappointed’ after beating Newcastle, but Liverpool, Bayer and Atalanta UEL ‘favourites’ | OneFootball

Milan coach Stefano Pioli says the Rossoneri are motivated in the Europa League but insists Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta are favourites to win the competition.

The Rossoneri have dropped from the Champions League after finishing third in the ‘Group of Death’ with Newcastle, PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

Tomorrow, they host Ligue 1 side Rennes at the Stadio Meazza in the Europa League knock-out playoff.

“European games are always difficult. We’ve had a lot of time to study Rennes. They are an organised team that plays vertical football, with quality. We must be careful,” Pioli said at a press conference as quoted by Milannews.

“The Champions League is clearly a step above, but if we see the teams involved, there’s not only Bayer Leverkusen but also Liverpool and other important clubs. The fact that Milan have never won the Europa League gives us extra motivation even if we can’t look so far away. We are fit and so they are, tomorrow’s game will be important.”

Milan beat Newcastle away in the final Champions League group stage game in December, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for the knock-out phase as Borussia failed to beat PSG, collecting a 1-1 draw.

“What we remember of that night in Newcastle surely is the disappointment of being eliminated from the Champions League,” said Pioli.

“However, we needed another target and put all our energy into a new competition. Many players were European debutants over the last few years, but now we’ve made a journey. We know we must be at our best on that precise night in Europe. That’s when we must give our best and this is what we want to do tomorrow.

“We have great ambition and we want to go all the way. Rennes are a very good team. The French league is different from Serie A, there’s high intensity with a lot of technique.”

Are Milan are among the favourites to lift the Europa League trophy? Pioli isn’t so sure.

“Before saying that we are favourites, we must qualify for the next phase. Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool and Atalanta are favourites,” he said.

The Italian tactician also said Samuel Chukwueze won’t be available tomorrow having recently returned from AFCON.

“Chukwu is back but he won’t be available tomorrow. Hopefully, he’ll be back against Monza. We’ll play many games so everyone will be involved. We have five games in 15 days, so it’s hard to think everyone will play 90 minutes.”

Tuesday with a stunning goal in the second half.

“I texted him last night, but he hasn’t replied yet,” the coach said, smiling.

“He gave a lot to the team and we gave a lot to him. He is such a nice guy; he scored an incredible goal, and I hope the injury is not too serious. I am happy he is doing well.”