Ibrahimovic: ‘I give Milan hug, Conceicao a telling off’ | OneFootball

Milan special advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic jokes that his double act with new coach Sergio Conceicao could have the squad reeling ahead of the Supercoppa Italiana with Inter. ‘I provide the hug, he gives the telling off.’

It kicks off at the Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

If the tie is at a stalemate after 90 minutes, they go directly to a penalty shoot-out, so there will be no extra time.

This is the second campaign using the Final Four format, with Inter beating Atalanta 2-0 in their semi-final and Milan’s 2-1 comeback victory over Juventus.

While he is no longer a player, Ibrahimovic admits he’s still fired up for the Supercoppa Italiana in the stands.

“To be honest, the adrenaline is still here, but playing football was the most wonderful thing. Now I am an ex-player, I am gaining experience slowly as a director, but the adrenaline is still there,” Ibrahimovic told Sport Mediaset.

Ibrahimovic role changes with Conceicao at Milan

epa11804138 AC Milan’s head coach Sergio Conceicao gestures during the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final match between Juventus FC and AC Milan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 03 January 2025. EPA-EFE/STR

It has been a difficult start to 2025 for Milan, who fired Paulo Fonseca to bring in Sergio Conceicao, beating Juventus 2-1 in the semi-final on his debut.

“The team is reacting well, there is positive energy, harmony, the whole team is fired up and doing great work. It has only been a few days since the new coach arrived, but something has already happened and the team is accepting the situations very well.”

Conceicao revealed he ‘got angry’ with his Milan squad during the half-time break against Juventus, so is this a very different approach to the one taken by predecessors Stefano Pioli and Fonseca?

“It needs a good balance. Perhaps I am taking a step back now, I provide the hug and he gives the telling off. Or if his telling off is not enough, then I will step in!” joked Ibrahimovic.

“The derby is always special, two teams from the same city who have mutual respect. It is more than a normal match, but you need this desire to win. We did everything to get here and now it’s a game you have to win. There are no excuses, all that matters is who wins.”

Rafael Leao is not 100 per cent fit, but did train with the team yesterday and is on the bench.

“As far as my experience told me, you no longer feel pain when you get on the pitch, because the adrenaline takes over. Even if you are playing on one leg, you still want to play and win. This is what they will all feel tonight. You never know, I might be able to play five or 10 minutes tonight!”

The transfer window is open and there have been reports Milan are seeking a new centre-forward as well as potentially some defenders.

“We are evaluating some transfer situations, discussing various things, something will happen. We are talking to the new coach, he needs to be involved, but right now he is too concentrated on the Final and we haven’t spoken to him about it yet.

“The club always has a plan, a strategy, and it is all under control.”