AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca has declared that it is unlikely Alvaro Morata will play tonight against Bayer Leverkusen while he also lifted the lid on what has changed in recent weeks.
Milan face a very tough test in their second Champions League game of the 2024-25 season just as they did in their first, which was a 3-1 loss at home to Liverpool at San Siro which seemed to have Fonseca on the brink of being sacked.
They will face a Leverkusen side who not only won the Bundesliga and the German Cup last season but they did so unbeaten under head coach Xabi Alonso, losing just once in 53 games.
They scored over 140 goals across all competitions and their only defeat was in the Europa League final against Atalanta, denying them a treble. It will be a real examination of Milan’s defensive capabilities after improvements in the last two games.
Fonseca spoke to Sky on the eve of the game against Leverkusen and he answered questions on a number of different topics, which we have translated below.
Will Morata play?
“It will be difficult for him to play, I don’t want to take any risks. He’s not completely well. He trained today but he’s not completely well. He probably won’t play, I don’t want to take any risks due to an injury.”
What has changed recently?
“Above all the trust of the people inside Milan but also in our fans. But I have to say that it is not because we have won these games that we do not have to continue to improve. We are not a team close to what I want, I want more.
“For example, against Lecce we won 3-0 but when we play this type of game we have a lot to improve in our decisions and in our positional play. We have a lot to learn and improve, we have to continue to do our job with balance.
“We have not won anything. Yes, we have won two important games that improve the atmosphere, it is nice to have this confidence, but we have a lot to do.”
