Pioli explains huge Zlatan Ibrahimovic boost on eve of Milan derby
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has provided Milan with a major lift ahead of the derby against Inter, returning to first-team training and sharing pearls of wisdom with his Rossoneri team-mates.
Sunday's San Siro battle comes too soon for Ibrahimovic to make an impact on the pitch, but the 41-year-old striker is back in the fold, close to returning from the knee surgery he underwent last May.
It was envisaged he would be absent for around eight months, and Milan have given the veteran all the time he needs.
Head coach Stefano Pioli believes having Ibrahimovic around the squad can only be a positive as last season's Serie A champions bid to recover from a drastic dip in form.
Milan have lost three games in a row, including a Supercoppa Italiana final 3-0 thumping by Inter, and are without a win in their last six.
Discussing the return of the charismatic Ibrahimovic, who is a former Inter player, Pioli said on Saturday: "He has always been fundamental for this team.
"On Friday he resumed training with us, even if to a small extent. Unfortunately, the two games against Tottenham [in the Champions League] come too soon, and right now we don't know when he will be at 100 per cent.
"I hope with all my heart he can come back soon, especially for what he's doing. Few people would do what he's doing to come back from such a difficult and complicated injury.
"Has he talked to his team-mates? I think so, he knows how to strike the right chords."
Pioli's team have slipped 15 points behind leaders Napoli and entered the weekend in fifth place, albeit only two points behind second-placed Inter, so there is all to play for at San Siro.
"It will be a great opportunity for us and we must do everything to seize it," Pioli said. "Inter come into the match in excellent form, but we have a great desire to start again."
Since the Supercoppa loss on January 18, Milan have been beaten 4-0 at Lazio and 5-2 at home by lowly Sassuolo, putting their top-four prospects in unexpected mid-season peril.
Inter will fancy piling on more misery, but Pioli said: "We have not lost the spirit that has always distinguished us. We must go back to showing it."
Milan are determined to get back into the top four and ink themselves in for another Champions League campaign, but Pioli said: "It shouldn't be taken for granted.
"We have to win many games from here until the end to get as high as possible."
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Martino looking to Suarez's influence with Messi involvement still unsure
Miami head coach Gerardo Martino is hoping Luis Suarez's influence can inspire the team to victory once again when they welcome Philadelphia Union to Chase Stadium.
The Herons have already clinched an MLS playoff place and recorded an impressive 4-1 victory over Chicago Fire last time out.
Suarez scored twice in his last two matches, propelling Miami to 59 points on top of the Eastern Conference, and Martino has been impressed with how the Uruguayan has led the line.
"Luis was probably the best player on the field [against Chicago], but I don't want to focus only on the goals because that is normal for him," he said.
"I prefer to focus on his game as a whole, the ball circulation and all the passes to midfielders and, because of that, we can play in other parts of the field. He did that very well."
Miami have been without talisman Lionel Messi since MLS action returned due to an ankle injury he sustained in the Copa America final, but Julian Gressel believes he could be back soon.
"It's nice to see [Messi] back out there," Gressel told the Player/Manager podcast. "If you can add a guy like that after what we've done over the past two months, it's certainly going to be an interesting kind of finish to the end here."
Meanwhile, Philadelphia are 11th in the standings but got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over New York Red Bulls last time out.
Head coach Jim Curtin was pleased to grind out the win but believes there are still improvements to be made.
"We were all disappointed with losing to a very strong Columbus team, but I had a good response [against New York RB]," Curtin said.
"I think big picture wise, if you look at the first 15 minutes of [the New York] game, that's us at our best. We have it in us, and now the challenge is to sustain it for all 90."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Inter Miami – Luis Suarez
Since the return of MLS action following the Leagues Cup break, Suarez has been running defences riot, scoring braces against both Cincinnati and Chicago Fire.
Against the Fire last weekend, he had the most shots (nine), shots on target (five), big chances (three) and touches in the opposition box (10), proving a constant threat in just under 80 minutes.
Philadelphia Union – Mikael Uhre
Mikael Uhre returned to the scoresheet against the New York Red Bulls last time out, netting his seventh goal of the season, the joint-second-highest tally in the team this season.
He is also known for his creative ability though, as his assist for Tai Baribo was his fifth of the campaign, with only Kai Wagner playing on more.
MATCH PREDICTION: INTER MIAMI WIN
Miami have recorded wins in each of their last two matches against the Union in all competitions. The Herons had won just two of their first eight all-time matches against Philadelphia (D2 L4).
Miami are just the second team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to record 15 wins in a span of 19 matches in a single regular season (after Seattle Sounders in 2018). No team in the post-shootout era has won 16 times in a span of 20 matches within a single regular season.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia snapped a four-match regular-season road losing streak with a 2-0 win at the Red Bulls on August 31. Those four losses are the Union's only road defeats of the regular season in 2024 (W4 D5).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Inter Miami – 51.8%
Draw – 24.6%
Philadelphia Union – 23.6%
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McClaren basks in first win as Reggae Boyz edge Honduras to keep quarterfinal hopes alive
Steve McClaren is savouring his first victory since taking the reins as Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz head coach after they secured a 2-1 win over Honduras in hostile territory, a scoreline that kept their Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal hopes alive.
The hard-fought League A battle in Tegucigalpa on Tuesday saw McClaren's men step up under immense pressure, especially following their opening draw against Cuba, which meant they had to rebound to improve their chances of finishing in the top two.
A 49th-minute own goal by Denil Maldonado and Michail Antonio’s 76th-minute penalty got the job done for the Boyz, who moved to the top of the Group B standings on four points, the same as Nicaragua, who were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Cuba. Honduras, who had their goal from David Ruiz in the 50th minute, were relegated to third on three points, with Cuba (two points), French Guiana (one point), and Trinidad and Tobago (one point) rounding out the group.
McClaren, who took charge of the team ahead of the tournament, credited the victory to the team’s blend of youth and experience.
“We had Premier League players out there, Ethan Pinnock, Antonio, and others, but we also had some new players coming on. We gave an opportunity to Norman Campbell, and yeah, he persisted and got us the first goal, then introduced Kaheim Dixon. So we had on the field a really nice blend of personalities of the older guys, looking after the younger guys,” McClaren said in a post-match press conference.