LEVERKUSEN, Germany (Reuters) – AC Milan need a quality defensive performance away to Bayer Leverkusen in Tuesday’s Champions League clash but also want to show they can play, said coach Paulo Fonseca.
Milan started their campaign in Europe with a 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool after Christian Pulisic fired them ahead in the third minute before the visitors recovered.
“I don’t think about changing (much), we need to have continuity. We know it’s a different game, (but) I think it will be a similar game to the one against Liverpool,” Fonseca told a press conference on Monday.
“Defensively I think the team has grown, it’s a good test to see our defensive capabilities at the moment. I told the players that to beat a strong team like Leverkusen we need to make a defensively perfect team.”
Xabi Alonso’s German champions began their campaign in Europe with a 4-0 away win over Feyenoord. But they have conceded 10 goals in their first five Bundesliga games after letting in 24 in 34 matches in the 2023-24 domestic season.
Seven-times European champions Milan, the only Italian side to triumph more than once in the Champions League era, are the top scorers in Serie A with 14 goals in six games this term.
“It is true that we have done well in the league in the last few games, but I have to say that Serie A is very different from these games we have in the Champions League,” Fonseca said.
“Today I was made to read Xabi Alonso’s words. When we talk about Italian teams, we always say the same thing – that (they) are good at defending and playing on the counter-attack. I would like other things to be said when we talk about Milan.
“We don’t want to be like that. Tomorrow we will obviously defend because we will play against a very strong team, but when we have the ball we still want to play.
“I’m curious to see the team’s behaviour in a different game to those we had in Serie A,” Fonseca added.
Milan may be without Spanish striker Alvaro Morata, who opened the scoring in their 3-0 home win against Lecce on Friday despite starting with a slight knock.
“He (Morata) made a big effort to play the last match,” Fonseca added. “He is doubtful and we will manage him. Let’s see how he is tomorrow. We don’t want to take any risks.”
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
