Xabi Alonso honoured to face Milan but ‘can’t focus’ on Pulisic only | OneFootball

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is honoured to meet Milan in the Champions League but insists he ‘won’t focus’ on Christian Pulisic only.

Milan visit Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League Round 2 on Tuesday. The Rossoneri suffered a 3-1 loss to Liverpool on their debut in the competition two weeks ago.

“We face a top side with great individual quality. We’ll need our best performance on the pitch, but we are ready,” Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said at a press conference on Monday, as quoted by TMW.

“There wasn’t much time to prepare, but that’s okay.

“We have a plan, but anything can happen in 95 minutes. We know our playing style, and I don’t expect a game like against Bayern Munich, but we’ll be ready.

Xabi Alonso honoured to face Milan but ‘can’t focus’ on Pulisic only

“We must be focused for the entire match but don’t want Milan to dominate the game. We know they are strong on counter-attacks,” the former midfielder continued.

“They scored three goals in five minutes in the most recent game. That’s what Milan is about with all their great players. They are fast and they have quality. It will be a big game for us, but every opponent is valuable in the Champions League.”

Xabi Alonso will meet his compatriot Alvaro Morata who has already scored two goals since joining the Rossoneri from Atletico Madrid in the summer.

“He’s a great player, we are in contact. He’s the captain of the national team, and he has gained experience,” said the Bayer Leverkusen boss.

“He’s intelligent and competitive. I hope he won’t have his best day tomorrow.”

Milan’s best scorer, however, is American ace Pulisic. The USMNT captain is also the leading Serie A scorer with four goals, alongside Marcus Thuram, Dusan Vlahovic, Patrick Cutrone and Mateo Retegui.

“He is in very good shape and an important player for Milan,” argued Xabi Alonso.

“He moves between the lines and is fast, but I can’t focus only on him. I’ll also think about Morata and Leao.

“It’s always hard to play against Italian teams. We’ll need patience with the ball possession because they defend well and are ready to sit deep. Fonseca’s playing style is well-defined. We’ll see the performance tomorrow, but we always want to be protagonists.

“Milan are in the Champions League history. I’ve always followed them from Sacchi to Capello. They’ve had great players, and it’s an honour to face them.”

Bayer Leverkusen are the defending Bundesliga champions, and they drew 1-1 away at Bayern Munich on Saturday.

They currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga, with three wins, one draw, and one defeat in the opening five league games.