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.

Football in Spain should have been completely suspended after the worst flash floods in decades swept parts of Valencia last week, so says Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid's trip to Valencia on Saturday was one of several LaLiga games postponed last weekend.

However, other matches went ahead, with Diego Simeone and Hansi Flick among the coaches to question that decision.

Ancelotti said it was nonsense that in other places of the country the competitions continued as expected and argued that there was no enthusiasm in Spain to play football right now.

"Football is a party and you can only celebrate and party when you, your family and everybody is well. When people are not well, you don't party," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Madrid's Champions League clash with his former club Milan.

"Football has to stop... For me it does.

"Because it is the most important of the least important things in life. But we are not the decision-makers. We have to follow the instructions of those who are in charge.

"There are many ways to help. Football had to stop and then help. Everyone has been clear about it, nobody wanted to play. It seemed like the right decision.

"I have no desire to talk about football today."

Ancelotti said that the 4-0 loss to rivals Barcelona and the disappointment of forward Vinicius Junior not winning the Ballon d'Or award were a distant memory due to the sorrow caused by the tragedy and that he is trying his best to keep the players' mindset in the right place for Tuesday's clash.

Ancelotti, who won eight trophies with Milan including two Champions League titles, said it was bittersweet to face his old club in such circumstances.

"It was supposed to be a special game for me, facing Milan... But there is no meaning in talking about football now," Ancelotti said.

"It has been a difficult week, not because of what happened with the Ballon d'Or or El Clasico... It happened and that's that, congratulations to the winners. Our sadness is not about that, it is for what is happening here in Spain." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Milan managed a 1-0 win at Monza thanks to a first-half header from Tijjani Reijnders on Saturday.

Midfielder Reijnders scored two minutes before half-time in the Serie A contest when he nodded home after Alvaro Morata's header was blocked.

Monza had wasted some decent openings before Milan went ahead, with Mike Maignan making a fine save to deny Pedro Pereira while Dany Mota had a goal disallowed.

Reijnders almost made it 2-0 after the break, but his deflected effort was kept out by Stefano Turati.

Monza goalkeeper Turati made another stop later on, this time to deny Rafael Leao, who scuffed his finish at the end of a mazy run.

Milan, who had 18 shots and accumulated 2.5 expected goals (xG), were not made to pay for that profligacy, though, as they got back on track after their defeat to Napoli, though the Rossoneri sit seventh, eight behind the Serie A leaders.

Data Debrief: Reijnders on a roll

After netting twice against Club Brugge in the Champions League, Reijnders, who did not play against Napoli on Tuesday, has now scored in two matches in a row for Milan for the first time.

It was the Dutch international's first league goal of the season, and capped a fine performance in which he also played two key passes and completed 44 of his 46 passes, with a team-leading 14 of those played in the final third.

Paulo Fonseca believes Milan's early-season rhythm has been disrupted following the late postponement of their Serie A fixture at Bologna last weekend. 

The match, scheduled to take place at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Saturday, was postponed 24 hours before kick-off after heavy rain and flooding in the region.

After failing to win their first three league matches, Milan have since taken 12 points from their next five games, propelling them up the standings after a difficult start. 

But with the Rossoneri not in action over the weekend, they dropped to eighth in the Serie A table ahead of facing leaders Napoli on Tuesday.

"It was tricky to manage this moment. On the eve of the game, we trained without knowing whether we’d play or not the following day," Fonseca said. 

"We wanted to play, and I think we’ve been affected by not playing in this match."

Napoli come into the game on the back of a 1-0 triumph over Lecce, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo's 73rd minute strike sealing a seventh win of the campaign. 

Antonio Conte's side are now unbeaten in their last eight league games, their best run since a run of eight straight wins in February 2023 under Luciano Spalletti.

They have also kept five clean sheets in their last six games, as many as in their previous 34 Serie A matches. 

"As the table shows, Napoli are a strong team at a good moment. They are the table leaders and will be motivated to face us," Fonseca said.

"We are also motivated to play this match against a very strong team that has won games comfortably."

Milan, however, have won just one of their last nine meetings against Napoli whent he fixture has been played in the first half of a Serie A campaign (D2 L6). 

Despite his side's league position after nine games so far, Fonseca believes Milan can win a 20th Scudetto title under his guidance.

"The fans must believe because we are a strong team and we are improving. We think we can fight for the Scudetto," he said.

Saturday's game between Bologna and Milan has been postponed due to heavy rain and flooding in the area, Serie A confirmed.

The clubs and the league organisers met on Friday in an attempt to find alternative arrangements, after Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore had earlier announced that he had ordered the suspension of the match.

An agreement could not be reached, with solutions such as playing the game in Bologna behind closed doors or at a neutral stadium rejected, and the game has been postponed with a rescheduled date yet to be announced.

"The match is postponed because, with a decision that in my opinion is incomprehensible, the mayor has prohibited the match from being played even behind closed doors," Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni told reporters after the meeting.

The municipality of Bologna said in a statement that the match would bring around 35,000 people near the most critical area of the city, causing problems due to the presence of fans and traffic closure in the surrounding area.

With both clubs involved in the Champions League, finding a new date for the postponed game will prove difficult, and Milan will now be without Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders for Tuesday's match against leaders Napoli.

Both players were set to be suspended for the Bologna game, but will now serve their suspension in the next match instead.

Milan had substitutes Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze to thank for beating Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday, according to head coach Paulo Fonseca.

The 3-1 home victory ensured Milan earned their first points of their European campaign, with Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders scoring a brace in the second half.

Okafor came on for Ruben Loftus-Cheek after an hour with the game at 1-1, while Chukwueze was swapped in for Rafael Leao, and both players provided assists for Reijnders to win the game.

"The credit goes to the players and mainly to those who came on," Fonseca told a press conference.

"They changed the match, changing our game, the intensity."

At the time Fonseca made the changes, Milan were labouring against a Club Brugge side who were playing with 10 men after midfielder Raphael Onyedika had been sent off in the first half.

"Obviously, in the first half, we didn't do things well," Fonseca said.

"We were up against a team with 11 players that was very deep, then with numerical inferiority, they became even deeper.

"We had difficulties in this type of game, in creating and provoking space.

"Then, when we don't find the right solution, the game starts to be too slow. When we don't find space, we need to have a different intensity in our actions. We didn't do well... I think it was a problem of understanding the game."

Fonseca brought on 16-year-old Francesco Camarda with Milan leading 3-1, with the teenager playing the final 15 minutes and having a goal ruled out for offside.

"I'm very sorry for the disallowed goal," said Fonseca. "But it was a beautiful moment for the team, all on the pitch celebrating a child who works so hard.

"Camarda will have many opportunities to score more goals during his career."

Camarda is the youngest player to have made their debut for Milan in the Champions League at just 16 years and 226 days.

He is also the youngest Italian player to feature in the competition, having beaten the record previously held by former Juventus forward, Moise Kean (16 years, 268 days).

Paulo Fonseca believes Milan have shown "signs of growth" in the Champions League, as he looks to get their first win against Club Brugge on Tuesday.

Milan faced Liverpool and reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in their opening two games in the competition, losing the first 3-1 at home and the latter 1-0.

They were outplayed in their opener, managing just two shots on target from eight efforts, compared to Liverpool's 11 from 23, with the Reds also racking up 3.09 expected goals (xG) to Milan's 0.61.

Fonseca's side put on a better show at the BayArena against Leverkusen, and the Portuguese head coach hopes they can translate that into a victory in what is almost a must-win match.

"We started against two of the strongest teams in Europe right now. They were two different games," he told reporters.

"Difficulties against Liverpool, quality against Leverkusen, especially in the second half. We didn't win, but we showed signs of growth.

"We have to continue to grow in this competition, and we want to win if we want to have a chance to continue. It's not decisive, but it is important, we have to win."

Fonseca also confirmed Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez will return to the starting line-up after missing Saturday's Serie A match against Udinese.

Hernandez was suspended for that game after his red card in the 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina, while the winger was dropped to the bench after that loss, which left Fonseca furious.

Samuel Chukwueze, who scored the winner against Udinese, is set to be among the substitutes against Brugge as Fonseca took the unusual step of naming his line-up.

"They will play tomorrow from the first minute," he added.

"I expect from them what I expect from everyone, that they give their best to help Milan win. It's a normal situation, even for them. And tomorrow they play."

"I will tell you straight away [Tuesday's] team. Mike Maignan, Emerson Royal, Matteo Gabbia, Fikayo Tomori, Hernandez, Youssouf Fofana, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tijani Reijnders, Leao, Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata."

Milan have a shortage of strikers. Tammy Abraham went off injured minutes after coming onto the pitch on Saturday, while Luka Jovic was not included in the Champions League squad.

Francesco Camarda has been called up from the youth squad and if he were to come on and score at 16 years and 226 days, he would become the youngest-ever scorer in the competition.

"This is not a normal situation to have Abraham and Jovic out," Fonseca said. "Normally we always have solutions, plus we have Camarda in whom we believe a lot. I don't think we need other players in this position."

AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca has had two weeks to stew on his team's latest defeat, and he will never refrain from criticising a player due to their name or status.

Milan were beaten 2-1 by Fiorentina before the international break, a defeat that came on the back of losing 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

It was the manner of their defeat in Florence, where Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham were both denied by David de Gea from the penalty spot, which left Fonseca furious.

Fonseca slated his players for disobeying orders after the game, pointing out that Christian Pulisic was the designated penalty taker, while he was also furious to see Hernandez sent off for dissent late on. 

Speaking ahead of Saturday's meeting with Udinese, Fonseca told reporters: "I was so angry after Florence that it was good not to have seen anyone.

"We had few players in those training sessions, then all the internationals arrived yesterday. We talked about the match against Fiorentina and today we spoke about Udinese.

"I know that there has been a lot of talk about Florence, for me it was very important to talk about it."

Fonseca is already under pressure, with his side sixth in the Serie A table, five points off leaders Napoli. Milan have also lost both of their Champions League games, and their coach intends to tackle any issues head on.

"I don't close my eyes to problems. We have them, let's face them," Fonseca said.

"If we have any problems, I don't give a damn about the player's name. I talk to him. Frontally, directly, with the team or with the players.

"For me, no player is more important than the team. Those who make mistakes must take responsibility. If someone doesn't follow this team spirit, it's difficult for me."

Fonseca was then asked if he had already lost control of the dressing room, responding: "I don't have to demonstrate anything, I'm not an actor.

"In football today there is a great need to be seen, I'm not like that, since day one. Ask the players, if I have been this way from the start or not."