AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli said the duel against Dinamo Zagreb was not a crucial match but he also warned his team that the opponent deserved to win over Chelsea.
Milan has had its first match in Group A of the 2022/2023 Champions League. They faced RB Salzburg and only won a draw.
At that time Milan conceded first through Noah Okafor in the 28th minute. The Rossoneri were finally able to equalize the score in the 40th minute through Alexis Saelemaekers.
Milan is now hoping to make up for these results. They want to pick three points when they meet Dinamo Zagreb.
Not a Crucial Game
AC Milan is currently in second place in Group E of the Champions League. They have only picked one point and are under Dinamo Zagreb.
Ahead of the duel against Dinamo Zagreb, Stefano Pioli said that the duel against the Croatian representative was indeed an important duel. However, the match was not crucial in determining which team would qualify for the next round.
"It's a very important game, but not decisive yet. Last season, we won the first game in the penultimate match, and we could have qualified by beating Liverpool in the last game.
Chelsea defeat
Stefano Pioli insists that AC Milan want the three points against Dinamo Zagreb. He also stressed that the results will only be obtained if the foster children if they play optimally.
Because if not, the results will obviously be painful. He then reminded the Milan squad about the defeat suffered by Chelsea from Dinamo Zagreb.
“Tomorrow, we can be top of the group with a win. We had chances, but it will be difficult because Dinamo deserved to win the first game [against Chelsea]."
"If we play at a high level, we have a good chance of winning both in Italy and in Europe. At Sassuolo, we didn't play at our level and we didn't win. Tomorrow, we have to play as well as possible," said Pioli.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea duel in the 2022/2023 Champions League, Tuesday (6/9/2022) (c) AP Photo
Thomas Tuchel, shortly before being sacked by Chelsea, had revealed why his team were defeated by Dinamo Zagreb. He said at that time the performance of the Blues squad was not optimal.
"My job is to find a solution. It's clear that we played badly individually," he told Chelsea's official website.
"For me it's a lack of hunger, a lack of intensity and a lack of determination to win duels and do things at the highest level and the toughest level."
AC Milan Match Schedule
AC Milan's next Match Schedule:
Match: AC Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb
Stadium: San Siro
Day: Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Kickoff: 23.45 WIB