PIOLI: "MAIGNAN BACK; IT'LL BE TOUGH"

After a trio of consecutive 1-0 wins the Rossoneri are back in action on Serie A matchday 24. Since the game at the Brianteo, the team have spent the week hard at work at Milanello to prepare for their upcoming clash with Atalanta: the aim is to build on the good progress over the last fortnight in order to win a big match. Ahead of the game, Stefano Pioli held the pre-match press conference:

AHEAD OF AC MILAN VS ATALANTA
"As always, it will be an open game. And an important one too, with both teams fighting for a Champions League spot. I expect a hard-fought match, it's a head-to-head clash. Atalanta has all the characteristics of a great team: organisation, technique and physicality. Compared to the first leg, they have sped up their game, but the positions are almost the same and we know what to expect. I knew Højlund before he even arrived at Atalanta, he has different characteristics to the last centre-forwards we have faced: we will need to be very careful".

THE SQUAD
"We are doing well mentally and physically, the difficult period is over. We want to try and control the match, careful in defence and dangerous in attack. At Monza, in the second half, we could have managed the ball better and we stooped too low: we must try to have more control in general, also more determination, unpredictability and ruthlessness in attack. It makes me happy and proud to see the desire of all my players, but it also makes my choices difficult. It is not the system of play that makes us win, but the principles. History will be made in the end, we are strong and we can win every game, but we can only think about the next one".

800 MATCHES AS COACH
"It's a decent amount but I don't want to stop here, I'm already looking at the goal of one thousand and I would like to do it at AC Milan where I won a Scudetto as coach, I know it will be difficult but it's a goal".

GOALKEEPER FRONT
"Maignan is doing well and will return to the side, kept out like a caged lion but now he is motivated and above all ready. Mike was the best goalkeeper last season, he gives us a lot in different situations: I am happy to have him back. Tătărușanu did his duty fully, at the beginning he struggled because he hadn't played for so long but then he made a very good contribution: I am very happy with how he performed.

INDIVIDUALS
"Ibrahimović is getting better and better, it might be time to give him some minutes on the pitch. Calabria and Bennacer will not be called up, but they should return by Wednesday and be available for Florence; like Florenzi. Bennacer is recovering, we tried to get him back early but he is only now starting to work at high intensity again. Leão is very happy to play the position in the new system, he often does what his intuition tells him on the pitch. I've spoken a lot with De Ketelaere since he arrived, it took him longer than expected to adapt to a different world but never before have I seen him as convinced as in recent weeks: he will help us win".

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