AC Milan's new coach Sergio Conceicao: I see a team eager to make changes

AC Milan will face Juventus at King Saud University Stadium in the 2024/25 Italian Super Cup semi-final. New AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao said he saw a team eager to make a change and urged the players to face Juventus without fear.

After Fonseca was fired, Sergio Conceicao from Portugal was appointed as the new head coach of AC Milan. The 50-year-old Sergio Conceicao previously coached Porto and led Porto to win 3 Portuguese Super League titles, 4 Portuguese Cup titles and one Portuguese League Cup title.

In addition, AC Milan is currently ranked 8th in the Serie A standings with 27 points, 8 points behind 4th-placed Lazio. How to lead the "Red and Black Army" back to the winning track will be Sergio Conceicao's top priority.

Sergio Conceicao said in an interview, "The initial contact was positive and I saw a team eager to make changes. I saw that the players wanted to understand different tactical concepts. This humble attitude is very important to me. This is the foundation we can continue to build on."

"We have been training well, but I have just taken over and then we have to rush to the competition venue, so we don't have much time to practice. But we must be as prepared as possible so that we can win the game."

In terms of the record of confrontation, AC Milan has only achieved 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses in the past 5 matches against Juventus, including a 0-0 draw with Thiago Motta's team at home in Serie A this season.

"We have to be competitive and better organised, and understand how strategically we can put pressure on Juventus ," said Sergio Conceicao. "We have to work hard and be aggressive, and even with the injuries and the limited time to prepare, we have to be fearless in dealing with Juventus, and we have to leave no excuses and try to beat them."

Talking about the team's lineup status, Sergio Conceicao said, "Pulisic has resumed training, but Leo has not. Moussa's situation remains to be seen. Leo will not be able to play, but others can, and the question is whether they can last 90 minutes. This is a decision I need to make."