GdS: ‘4 out of 4’ – Milan hope to ‘ignite’ UCL campaign with clear target in mind | OneFootball

AC Milan will begin the second half of the league phase of the new Champions League this evening, and the mission is clear: win every game.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes that Milan want to ‘ignite’ their journey in the Champions League with a victory that would not ensure one of the top eight places, but would certainly put them on the right path.

The objective is to win the remaining four matches to secure a direct passage to the last 16 without going through the play-offs in February. Paulo Fonseca was very direct about it in his pre-match press conference yesterday.

“With the team we talked about how important this match could be for our journey in the Champions League. Honestly, I think there is a chance of winning the four remaining games. That’s what we want,” he said.

After the defeats in the first two matchdays against Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, finding themselves in the current situation was anything but a given. The Rossoneri beat Club Brugge and then pulled off a surprise win away against Real Madrid.

Now the calendar also gives them a hand, or at least on paper: after a Slovan Bratislava side who have lost every game in the UCL, Milan face Red Star (December 11) and Girona (January 22) at San Siro, before closing in Zagreb against Dinamo (January 29).

In the standings, the Croatians are the best placed (seven points), but they don’t seem unbeatable, while the Spaniads (three points) and the Serbian side (zero points) are even more within reach. Obviously they must go one game at a time, but Fonseca’s men sense a chance.

Continuing to do well in Europe and getting into the top eight places in the Champions League could also provide a big boost domestically too, especially given that Fonseca hasn’t changed his mind compared to his post-Juventus presser.

“I continue to believe in the Scudetto and I can’t say otherwise because I see the atmosphere in the dressing room, how these guys work. But now all that matters is winning in Bratislava and then concentrating on Empoli.” he said.