Milan must keep their guard up when they host impressive Serie B leaders Sassuolo in a Coppa Italia last-16 clash on Tuesday, coach Paulo Fonseca has said.

Milan start their cup campaign against a Sassuolo team who are in good form after being relegated from Serie A last term, ending 11 consecutive seasons in the top flight.

"For me they are not a Serie B team, they have a lot of players who are on a Serie A level," Fonseca said in an interview for Milan TV on Monday.

"There is not only [striker Domenico] Berardi, who has shone in Serie A. They beat Lecce 2-0 in the previous round, who are a Serie A side. They're top of the table, they're a strong team.

"We've analysed them well. I told the players to expect a difficult match against a team that, for me, should be in Serie A."

Sassuolo, who are three points clear of second-placed Pisa after 15 matches in Serie B, have only lost at home to Cremonese this season and have gone unbeaten in 11 games since.

Milan, meanwhile, sit seventh in Serie A, 10 points off leaders Napoli with a game in hand.

Paulo Fonseca on...

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"Milan haven't won the cup in a while. We need to have a clear ambition in this competition," Fonseca said.

"But we don't look too far ahead. If we are to have aspirations of making it to the final, which must be our goal, we have to win tomorrow."

Five-times Coppa Italia winners Milan last lifted the trophy more than 20 years ago in 2003.

The Portuguese coach said there will be changes to the starting lineup for the game after Milan's 3-0 home win over Empoli in Serie A on Saturday, and ahead of their next league fixture at second-placed Atalanta on Friday.

"We played two days ago. If we don't manage the team and the players well we could have physical problems, and we don't want that," he said.

"I have faith in all the players. But obviously, there will be some changes but always with the aim of winning the match."

Some of the changes are due to health issues.

"Mike Maignan will not be there due to dental surgery. Theo [Hernandez] will also not be there due to a foot issue. The others are all ready to play," Fonseca added.

Tijjani Reijnders warned Milan against any complacency as they look to chase down Champions League qualification.

Milan are seventh in Serie A following Saturday's 3-0 win over Empoli at San Siro.

Reijnders scored twice, after Alvaro Morata had broken the deadlock, as Milan impressively put a defensively sound Empoli team to the sword.

But Milan are seven points back from league leaders Napoli, while they are six points off the top four.

"We haven't done anything yet, we have to keep pushing," said Reijnders.

"Good match but the points distance from the Champions League places weighs [heavily].

"We play to win [but] we are not satisfied with the position."

Coach Paulo Fonseca, meanwhile, credited his team's performance at both ends of the pitch, as they limited Empoli to zero shots on target and kept a fifth clean sheet in the space of seven home matches in Serie A this term.

"We played a great game against a team that is very aggressive defensively, which has the fourth-best defence in the championship," Fonseca told reporters.

"We played a very balanced game, offensively and defensively. There was one very important thing, the [quick] recovery of the ball in the offensive half of the pitch.

"We scored three goals but could have scored six or seven if we hadn't made the wrong last choices."

Tijjani Reijnders's double and a goal from Alvaro Morata saw Milan claim a comfortable 3-0 win over Empoli at a foggy San Siro on Saturday.

Milan, who beat Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League in midweek, had drawn their previous two Serie A matches.

But Paulo Fonseca's team returned to winning ways without too much fuss, with Empoli not managing to get a single shot on target.

Morata gave Milan the lead in the 19th minute, scoring with a first touch inside the left post after the Spanish striker landed a rebound.

Reijnders doubled Milan's advantage just before the break with a brilliant half-volley before he made it 3-0 in the second half, sending a crisp, low finish home from outside of the box.

Milan are seventh in the standings with 22 points, seven points off leaders Napoli who visit 11th-placed Torino on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Milan's mean defence

Fonseca hit out at Milan's sloppy defending in their 3-2 Champions League win in midweek, and his criticism fuelled a response from his team this time out.

Empoli had nine shots but finished with just 0.6 expected goals, as Milan – who accumulated 2.2 xG going the other way – kept a fifth clean sheet from their last seven home matches in the league.

The excellent Reijnders was decisive, as he netted his first double in a match in Europe's top 10 leagues since he scored twice for AZ against Vitesse in May 2022.

Paulo Fonseca has urged Milan to find a balance between defence and attack after displaying a variety of weaknesses in their last two matches.

Milan were toothless but defensively sound in a dour 0-0 draw at home with Juventus last week, before having the opposite problem in a midweek 3-2 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava.

After opening the scoring, the Italian side twice conceded and had a nervy finish to the game as their Slovakian opponents pushed hard for an equaliser.

Milan are already 10 points behind leaders Napoli in Serie A, though with a game in hand, and Fonseca is keen to find a solution to their problems when they face Empoli on Saturday. 

"With Juve, we were more organised, with Slovan better in transition. It seems to me that we improve in something, then other problems arise," Fonseca told reporters.

"But it's not because you win that you have to think everything is fine by closing your eyes to the problems. I can't close my eyes. We talked about the problems.

"It's important to work on the problem. We won [against Slovan]. Is everything OK? No. When we work on the problem we had in the game, the team has a positive response."

Milan have managed just one win in their last four league games, but have failed to score in their last two Serie A games played at San Siro (D1 L1). They last went without a win in three home matches between February and April 2021 (a run of four).

A home match against Empoli, who Milan have won six of their last seven Serie A meetings with (D1), could help the Rossoneri narrow the gap to the top and build some momentum.

"It's not easy in Italy to be dominant, it's not easy against Empoli," Fonseca said.

"What we want is balance, to feel that the team creates chances by having defensive security. In Bratislava, after scoring 0-1, there was a chance to dominate the game, but we conceded the equaliser and the team took it."

Midfielder Youssouf Fofana, a key player in Milan's set-up, is on four yellow cards and could receive a one-match suspension if he is booked on Saturday, which would rule him out of a key trip to second-placed Atalanta next week.

Asked if the Frenchman would be rested as a precaution, Fonseca said: "I can't take the risk of resting him, because tomorrow is the most important game.

"I expect Fofana to play an intelligent game. If Fofana makes mistakes, he makes mistakes, but I expect the others not to make mistakes."

Paulo Fonseca wants defensive improvement from Milan after they almost let their lead slip in a 3-2 Champions League win at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.

Milan secured a third consecutive Champions League win but had to hang on as the hosts pulled a goal back in the 88th minute and pushed for a leveller.

While Fonseca was delighted that his side moved on to nine points, the Portuguese coach pointed out his team's defensive errors that led to the late drama.

"We have won the last three games in the Champions League. We have scored nine goals. It is very positive. Today it was important to win, and that is what we did," Fonseca told reporters.

"I think we dominated during the match. We changed a lot of players. We did some positive things but also some things to improve, maybe because we changed a lot of players.

"We didn't do the defensive marking well, then after the break, we improved. We deserved to win."

Slovan only had six shots, yet accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), suggesting they created some high-quality chances.

Christian Pulisic put Milan ahead after 21 minutes, but Tigran Barseghyan swiftly dragged the home side level.

Rafael Leao became the first half-time substitute to score in the Champions League for Milan with his goal the 500th scored in the competition by Portuguese players, and Tammy Abraham netted what proved to be the winner three minutes later, with Nino Marcelli's late effort ultimately not enough for Slovan.

Fonseca added that he did not see a problem with his players' attitude, but rather in their reading and understanding of the game when defending.

"These things are difficult to explain. Maybe because these defenders haven't played much. It's a question of reading, not of attitude," he said.

"In the first half, when we allowed Slovan to come out, it was a question of defensive marking. We were too far away with the defenders, and they were always alone to come out. It's a problem of reading and understanding what was happening."

Milan moved up to 14th in the standings, with nine points from their five matches.

AC Milan earned their third successive Champions League win with a 3-2 victory at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, hanging on despite coming under fierce pressure late on.

The first half ended level with Milan's Christian Pulisic opening the scoring in the 21st minute before a quick counterattack led to Slovan's Tigran Barseghyan equalising three minutes later.

Milan struggled to put Slovan away before substitute Rafael Leao put them back in front in the 68th minute, staying onside from Youssouf Fofana's pass to tuck home.

Tammy Abraham then extended their lead by capitalising on a horror back-pass from David Strelec just three minutes later.

Slovan pulled a goal back through Nino Marcelli in the 88th minute and also had Marko Tolic sent off late on, as he picked up two yellow cards for dissent in a matter of moments.

However, Milan came through the late drama to move onto nine points while Slovan, with no points, remain rooted at the bottom of the standings. 

Data Debrief: Pulisic flying the flag

Pulisic's opener made him just the second American player to score three goals in a single Champions League campaign, after DeMarcus Beasley for PSV in 2004-05.

Milan, meanwhile, have won three straight group-stage matches in the Champions League for the first time since 2004-05 under Carlo Ancelotti, when they reached the final but were memorably beaten by Liverpool after surrendering a 3-0 lead.

Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca has urged his players not to underestimate the challenge posed by Slovan Bratislava in Tuesday's Champions League match, even though the Slovakian side are bottom of the standings after losing four straight games.

Slovan Bratislava have yet to earn a point and have a minus-13 goal difference, while Milan are 20th with six points and within the play-off section.

"Am I at risk of underestimating tomorrow’s match? I expect that won’t happen. Today we talked about the importance of winning tomorrow. We mustn’t look at their history," Fonseca told a press conference on Monday.

"We must think that tomorrow we are playing at their home. It will be important to have the right attitude."

Fonseca added that his side often perform better against teams that on paper appear stronger than them, such as their 3-1 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the previous Champions League matchweek.

"What I know is that against the big teams we have done well and that [we have] done less well against the small teams," Fonseca said.

"We work to be a team with the attitude and ambitions shown against the big teams. We work to always be the same team.

"The Champions League is the Champions League. Everyone likes to be in these games, the motivation is greater. I expect them to be able to play the Champions League tomorrow with this motivation."

Milan faced criticism following their dull 0-0 draw with Juventus at the weekend, with Fonseca admitting his side fell short of their best.

"We are aware of what we did well and what we did less well. We did several things less well," Fonseca said.

"The problem is that the dimension of things in Milan seems different to me: a draw with Juve for us is a defeat, for others a victory."

Rafael Leao has shrugged off suggestions of a feud between him and Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca despite starting fewer games in recent weeks.

The winger started three consecutive Serie A matches on the bench after the last international break, coming on to make substitute appearances in two of those.

He returned to the starting line-up for their 3-3 draw with Cagliari last time out, netting twice in the first half to bring his tally up to three goals for the season, and 50 overall in Serie A.

Leao has also provided three assists in the Italian top-flight, while he has both attempted (36) and completed (24) the most dribbles of any Milan player in the competition.

There were reports of tension between Leao and Fonseca due to the former's lack of playing time in recent weeks, but he brushed off the idea.

"These things happen during the season, I have nothing against him, and he has nothing against me," Leao said while at Portugal's training ground.

"It's all settled. I don't like being on the bench, obviously, but he makes the decisions and I, as a player, have to respect the coach.

"When I step onto the pitch, I have to do my best to help the team."

Leao has also impressed with performances in the Champions League this season, especially against Real Madrid in a 3-1 win, as he registered an assist for their third goal.

However, he has also come under criticism in Italy, with one pundit claiming he has a poor work ethic, suggesting he only puts in effort in big games.

"Clearly, I do not agree with that," Leao added about the recent comments.

"I have been having a great season at Milan but, like everyone else, there are ups and downs. The campaign has only just started. Look, I know that I am not the perfect player and sometimes I can do much better.

"I am not shaken by this criticism. I have people who help me to improve and those are the ones I have to listen to. This criticism just spurs me on to respond on the pitch."

Paulo Fonseca thinks AC Milan "lacked aggression" during their 3-3 draw with Cagliari.

The Rossoneri had won four of their five previous games in all competitions, but fell behind after just two minutes at Unipol Domus to Nadir Zortea.

Rafael Leao's brace turned the contest around before half-time, while Tammy Abraham regained the visitors' lead after Gabriele Zappa pulled the hosts level.

However, Milan could not hold on as Zappa equalised in the 89th minute to ensure the spoils were shared, and Fonseca rued his side's defensive frailties.

"I think the problem wasn't with the ball or offensively, but defensively. We had great difficulty with Cagliari's crosses," Fonseca told DAZN.

"We lacked aggression. You can't win a match like that, especially when you lose aerial duels. I think the mistake was there. It's difficult to win this way.

"We did good things in attack, scoring three goals, but we could not draw this match. It’s a step back, and we can’t concede three goals if we want to win."

Meanwhile, Cagliari ended a run of three successive defeats, and Davide Nicola saluted his team's efforts.

"There was courage, but today I appreciated the ability to interpret the match with a consistent performance," he said.

"My team played football today, even though we must acknowledge Milan's quality and work on improving certain things. We’re growing. We had the right attitude and tried to create chances.

"If we look at the numbers, it's almost a shame to have drawn, but we must humbly remember we were up against a great team. We are satisfied."

Paulo Fonseca confirmed teenage forward Francesco Camarda will make his first Milan start in place of the injured Alvaro Morata against Cagliari.

Morata suffered a head injury in training on Thursday and was taken to hospital where an MRI was carried out, and while no damage was found, he will take no part in Saturday's away game.

"It was a strange situation, in an exercise yesterday he collided with [Strahinja] Pavlovic," Fonseca told reporters.

"Initially, I didn't think it was such a problem as it turned out to be, but he is not ready to play tomorrow. He's fine, but he's not ready."

Morata has, however, been selected in Spain's Nations League squad, with their manager Luis de la Fuente saying the player is fit, something which surprised Fonseca.

"I don't know why he said that. There is a protocol that says that a player must stop for 10 days," Fonseca added.

"I don't know how he can say that he plays. That is, it is not an option, it is a mandatory thing. I don't know how De la Fuente can do this."

With Morata, who has scored three goals in all competitions for Milan this season, unavailable, and Luka Jovic struggling for fitness, it was expected that Tammy Abraham would lead the line at Cagliari after recovering from a shoulder injury.

However, Fonseca revealed he had instead chosen the 16-year-old Camarda.

"Morata at the moment has a very specific role. Morata is not always a striker, but many times he is a player who unlocks the passing lines," said the 51-year-old.

"I think Camarda right now is more ready than Abraham to play this role."

Last season, Camarda became the youngest-ever player to appear in Serie A, coming on as a late substitute against Fiorentina in November at 15 years, eight months and 16 days old.

He then came on to replace Morata during Milan's 3-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge last month, where he thought he had scored his first goal for the club, but it was ruled offside, and now the youngster will get his first chance from the start.

"For me, it's not surprising. He works with us every day. I think everyone at the club believes in him a lot, he works well and understands the role well," Fonseca said.

"For me, players have no age, they have quality. And he shows every day that he has quality."

Carlo Ancelotti demanded a reaction from his Real Madrid players when they return to LaLiga action this weekend after their defeat to Milan in the Champions League. 

Ancelotti watched on as his side were well beaten at the Bernabeu by the Serie A side, with Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata and Tijjani Reijnders on target for the visitors. 

The result followed a humiliating 4-0 defeat to rivals Barcelona in the Clasico, with Ancelotti losing consecutive home games for the first time as Los Blancos' head coach.

Madrid are already nine points behind Hansi Flick's side at the summit of LaLiga, though they have played a game less after their game away to Valencia was postponed. 

They welcome Osasuna to the Spanish capital on Saturday, and Ancelotti is looking for a response from his side to get their season back on track. 

"Osasuna are doing very well, playing brave football and well positioned in the table," Ancelotti told reporters.

"We see tomorrow as a great opportunity to get back to doing things right... at this moment in time, which is obviously difficult. We have a chance to get back to our best.

"We have analysed the situation. We think we have found the solution, but it has to be seen in practice. We want to see a different version tomorrow.

"I see the team united, motivated and aware. But we have to wait until tomorrow to see if we act in the right way."

And the Madrid boss has reason to be confident heading into their game on Saturday, having not lost in his eight LaLiga fixtures against Osasuna (W5 D3). 

Only against Real Betis (W5 D4) has Ancelotti gone more games without defeat in the competition (eight, also against Elche, Granada and Almeria).

Ancelotti was, however, positive that Kylian Mbappe would return to his best form, having scored just once in his last six games in all competitions. 

Mbappe was also left out of France's Nations League fixtures against Israel and Italy later this month, though Ancelotti believes this weekend's fixture provides an opportunity for his striker to silence the doubters.

"He's training well, he's going through a difficult moment... like each one of us," Ancelotti said.

"And like all of us, he has to think that this is an opportunity, that if he is clever he can get through it, but it requires more concentration and attitude. 

"This is a strong, motivated group and the biggest club in the world. This is the best place to get through difficult times. And I am convinced that we will," he added.

Paulo Fonseca saluted AC Milan's "courage" during their 3-1 victory over reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid.

Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata and Tijjani Reijnders were on target as the Rossoneri condemned Madrid to successive home defeats for the first time under their former boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Milan became the first side in the history of the competition to score three times against Los Blancos at Santiago Bernabeu on two occasions, also achieving the feat in October 2009.

And Fonseca was delighted at the way the players executed his game plan, which he acknowledged was slightly different to normal.

"We won because the players had the courage to come here and not be afraid of anything, playing the game we wanted," he told reporters during his post-match press conference.

"We prepared for a match in which we wanted to keep the ball. In the first half, we did important things and, in the second half, we suffered more. But we deserved to win, no doubt about it.

"Today, we showed that an Italian team came to the Bernabeu to play and not to defend alone. We can still grow a lot. I have to be honest. This type of game is totally different to what we have in Serie A. 

"In Italy, perhaps, we don't have the chance to play with this aggressiveness. I don't think it's possible to do what we did today. Here, there are no teams that press man-to-man all over the pitch."

Carlo Ancelotti has said he was worried about Real Madrid's level of performance in their 3-1 home defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The result marked the first time in three years that they have suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions, having been hammered 4-0 by Barcelona at the Bernabeu last time out.

Following the match, Real Madrid are 17th in the Champions League table – just three points off dropping out of the play-off positions – with Wednesday's games to come.

"We have to be concerned, the team is not playing well," Ancelotti told a press conference on Tuesday.

"The team is not compact, we need to be more compact, more organised, we've conceded a lot of goals ... The team is not well organised on the pitch and we need to work on this.

"We have to focus on what we have today, which is a team that is not at its best, and get back to our level so we can fight for all competitions."

Real Madrid have conceded nine goals in their last three matches, while a Vinicius Junior penalty on Tuesday was their only goal in their last two. Players such as Aurelien Tchouameni and Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, were booed by fans.

"It is not an issue of motivation or attitude, it's a collective thing that we need to fix quickly," said Ancelotti.

"On the pitch, something is missing and we have not been able to show our best version. We have to fix this, but the nights are going to be very long and we have to recover the solidity that we are lacking.

"That's the problem above all, we've conceded too many goals for a team that is built on solidity.

"We have to accept criticism and accept reality. We want to do better because it's very difficult to get to the end of the season like this. We have to defend better and we have to look for solutions, without going crazy after drastic changes.

"It's good that the players are down like I am. We can all think about how to improve our version. We are confident that this team will improve." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Milan won an away match against the reigning European Champions for the first time after claiming a stunning 3-1 victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League. 

The result moves Milan up to 18th in the table on six points from their four games, level with Madrid but behind them by one place on goal difference. 

Malick Thiaw headed the visitors into a 12th minute lead at the Bernabeu, planting a powerful header beyond Andrii Lunin after Christian Pulisic's pinpoint corner kick. 

But Milan joy was short-lived when Emerson Royal fouled Vinicius Junior in the box 11 minutes later, with the Brazilian stepping up to level the contest from 12 yards. 

However, Paulo Fonseca's side entered the break with the lead when former Madrid striker Alvaro Morata finished from close range after being the quickest to react to Rafael Leao's spilled effort. 

Leao was again involved for Milan's third, with his driving run ending with a smart cutback to Tijjani Reijnders, who sealed a statement win for the Rossoneri. 

Data Debrief: Milan provide Bernabeu fireworks

After losing their opening two games in the Champions League, Milan showed their credentials on the grandest of stages against Madrid. 

They were helped by Morata, who haunted his former club once again. The Spaniard has scored in all three of his Champions League games against Madrid, also netting home and away against them with Juventus in 2014-15.

Pulisic also continued his fine form for Milan. He has now been involved in 11 goals in all competitions this season (seven goals, four assists).

Among Serie A players, only Atalanta duo Mateo Retegui (14) and Ademola Lookman (12) have been involved in more.

Carlo Ancelotti has now lost consecutive home games as Madrid manager for the first time, while it’s the first time he’s done so with any side since May 2021 with Everton.

Milan have no need to fear Real Madrid and their coach Paulo Fonseca is targeting a statement win in the Champions League.

Despite having won more Champions League/European Cup titles (seven) than any other club apart from Madrid (15), it has been 17 years since Milan last lifted the trophy in 2007.

On the other hand, holders Madrid have won the Champions League six times since 2013-14.

But Fonseca sees no reason to fear Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Carlo Ancelotti's side were recently hammered 4-0 by Barcelona.

"We're playing against a team that aspires to win the Champions League every year and for us it's a great opportunity to grow," Fonseca said.

"We'll play without fear of anything, with courage, because we believe we can play a great game and do great things.

"I always transmit to my team the desire to win and tomorrow will be no different. Real Madrid are a great team, but we will go out there thinking about winning. After that, anything can happen, but that's the mentality.

"To win a match like this, we have to defend well, have possession of the ball and create dangerous situations. A match against Real Madrid is a chance to show the world our quality and the way we are growing."

Madrid are 12th in the 36-team Champions League table with six points, while Milan are languishing in 25th spot – just outside the play-off places – with three points after three games.

Fonseca explained Milan had carefully studied Barcelona's 4-0 win over Madrid in last month's Clasico.

"I saw the derby, it's impossible not to watch it. They are teams I like to watch and I paid close attention to the game," Fonseca said.

"We are different from Barcelona but it was important to see Real Madrid's intentions against them because Barca have a similar way of defending with us. We made the whole team watch the game.

"It is the match between the two clubs that have won the Champions League the most. There are many games in the continent that are big, but this one is obviously something special, a match between two clubs that are attractive.

"We hope to put on a good show for people who enjoy good football."

Milan are winless in their last three Champions League games against Madrid (D2 L1) since they won 3-2 in October 2009 with goals from Andrea Pirlo and Alexandre Pato.

Madrid have won five of their seven home matches against Milan in the competition (D1 L1), beating them 2-0 in the most recent such match in October 2010.