AC Milan’s focus is solely on securing a place in the Champions League round of 16, as they temporarily ignore their upcoming derby against city rivals Inter, according to manager Sergio Conceicao. Currently sitting in sixth place in the Champions League table, Milan can bypass the knockout round entirely with a victory away to Dinamo Zagreb in their final match on Wednesday.
Despite trailing second-placed Inter by 16 points in Serie A and the need to perform well domestically, Conceicao insists that his team is not thinking about the derby until after the game against Zagreb. “I think game-by-game, I don’t make calculations two games at a time,” he stated during a press conference. “We have to focus on tomorrow’s match, which will be important and difficult to achieve the second goal. The first goal was to win the Super Cup, and we did it well. The second goal is to finish in the top eight in the Champions League. We are focused on this match; we will think about the derby on Thursday on the plane returning home.”
Milan previously defeated Inter in the Italian Super Cup final at the beginning of January, with a 3-2 victory in Conceicao’s second game in charge. However, the manager believes that talk of winning the Champions League is premature and needs to be tempered. “There are many games left, and our goal is to finish in the top four in Serie A,” Conceicao explained. “We don’t think about the derby, let alone the final phase of the Champions League. Looking ahead, we don’t see the stairs in front of us, and we risk tripping.”
On the other hand, Dinamo Zagreb desperately needs a win against Milan to have any chance of making the play-off round. Currently two spots below where they need to be, trailing 24th by two points, Zagreb faces an uphill battle.
In conclusion, AC Milan’s primary focus is on securing their place in the Champions League round of 16, temporarily ignoring their upcoming derby against Inter. Conceicao emphasizes taking it game-by-game and not getting ahead of themselves. Milan’s clash with Dinamo Zagreb holds great importance, and only after that match will they shift their attention to the derby.
