PIOLI: "THE DECISIVE PART OF THE SEASON BEGINS"

After their fantastic win and great performance at the Olimpico in Rome, the Rossoneri are preparing to host Udinese on matchday 25 in Serie A, with kick-off scheduled for 20:45 CET on Wednesday 3 March at San Siro. A tricky and important match awaits. Coach Pioli held a press conference on the eve of the game, here's what he had to say:

TOWARDS AC MILAN V UDINESE
"It'll be an important game against a team that made life complicated for us in the reverse fixture and have caused problems for every team. We'll need to put in a great performance. We'll need to play with a clear philosophy and the right attitude. I know Gotti well; we met during the coaching courses at Coverciano. He's an intelligent guy and a great coach. He's doing well at Udinese."

AWAY FACTOR
"The numbers are clear; we're doing really well away from home. Unfortunately, without the fans, playing at home or away isn't as determining a factor anymore. The results prove that. However, playing in your own stadium always has its advantages."

THE REAL AC MILAN IN ROME
"We're going into this game after a big win against a really good side. Now, we want to go on a bit of a run. Leading the league has to be our game, we showed that at the Olimpico with a display of strength, focus, will, and spirit. The key moments of that game were Rebić's goal and the blocks from Tomori and Tonali."

THE TEAM

"Every game is different. Being able to choose is a bit of great luck, only tomorrow will I decide the best team. I have a large squad, I never thought about who was there or who wasn't there. In recent weeks we have not played to our levels, but we have been able to work more on the mistakes. We have an identity recognised even by our opponents, we have to make the run-in on our own, showing we are a great team and trying to get the most out of it. Only at the end will we draw conclusions. The decisive moment of the season is now. The worst thing is to do things by halves: we have to be aggressive and intense in every performance".

THE INDIVIDUALS

"Until a few days ago there was talk of Leão maturing, he is missing a few goals but I am satisfied with how much he is doing; in Rome, he played well when he came on and tomorrow he can start from the beginning. Zlatan is our champion, he is the number one in everything, he is one more weapon, but the team has proven to be up to it even in his absence. Sanremo? Tonight, he will watch Juventus-Spezia. I spoke with Romagnoli, in certain situations you can't have the same ideas, but it is always important to have respect. Rebić is doing well, tomorrow I think he will train with the group and then he can be a starter; due to his characteristics, he is an important player for us. Mandžukić and Bennacer are proceeding with their individual work, I hope that from next week they will be available again".

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