As Serie A returns for a midweek round of fixtures, AC Milan prepare to face Napoli on Tuesday evening. Milan’s manager Paulo Fonseca spoke to the press ahead of this crucial match, addressing various topics concerning his team.
Fonseca began by acknowledging the strength of their opponents: “Napoli is a very strong team with an excellent coach, as the league table shows. They’re in good form and will be highly motivated to face us, but we are equally motivated for this game.”
Regarding the postponement of their previous match against Bologna, Fonseca expressed frustration: “It was difficult to manage this situation because we didn’t know if we would play even after our final training session. We wanted to play, and we’ve been penalized in this respect.”
The manager also addressed the issue of suspensions and the recent performance of young player Camarda: “We wanted to play also because of the suspensions. Now we’ll be missing Theo and Reijnders. The team has trained well, and I have confidence in all the players who will play tomorrow. Camarda hasn’t changed anything; he entered very well in the Champions League, confirming what I think of him – that he has a great future.”
When questioned about star player Leao, Fonseca remained tight-lipped about the starting lineup but assured there were no issues: “Leao has worked well as always. It’s not a problem, and there’s no ‘case’ to discuss. We’re sure he’ll soon return to the level we expect. I won’t say if he’ll play tomorrow. It’s a normal situation in football; when I make choices, I consider various factors.”
On the topic of title contention, Fonseca acknowledged Napoli’s current position while asserting Milan’s ambitions: “Napoli is the favorite at the moment. They’re the league leaders and the strongest team, and they can certainly win the Scudetto. But we’re still in the race to win. We’re a strong team that’s improving, and we can fight for the title.”
Looking ahead to the match, Fonseca outlined his expectations: “I expect many things from my team. When we analyze matches, we always focus on what we did well and what we need to improve. Tomorrow will be a balanced game against a team that defends very well. We certainly need to improve our decision-making in the final third, but we’ve been doing some things better since the start of the season.”
Finally, Fonseca commented on Milan’s position in the league table with a game in hand: “The asterisk doesn’t change much for me, but looking at the table, it does penalize us a bit.”
