With Champions League qualification becoming an impossible mission after Sunday, there is even more pressure on AC Milan in the Coppa Italia.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, Milan have an even greater obligation not to mess up the first leg of the Coppa Italia derby. At stake is not only the possibility of going to the final in Rome on May 14 for the second trophy of the season, but also qualification for the next Europa League.
Granted, back in August the minimum result was to enter the top four, but things went differently than the management had hoped. Now it is necessary to cling to the domestic cup in order not to go a year without European competitions. The last time it happened was in 2019-20, due to UEFA exclusion.
The great shame
With all their direct competitors having extended their lead in the table, reaching even qualification for the Conference League through a league finish is increasingly complicated for Milan, especially with Fiorentina, Atalanta, Bologna and Roma still to play.
The trend, at least in Serie A, was confirmed at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, while in cup competitions the Rossoneri’s progress has been better given that in the Champions League they achieved a feat against Real Madrid, then beating Juventus and Inter in the Supercoppa.
It is the Nerazzurri – against whom the trophy number 50 in the history of the club was raised to the sky in Riyadh – who must be faced next. Simone Inzaghi’s men would like to eliminate (or almost eliminate) their rivals’ chances of playing in Europe in 2025-26.
