AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli believes his side can defeat table leaders Napoli in the weekend’s Serie A clash.
The Rossoneri have endured a lacklustre campaign in Serie A this season, experiencing a significant decline following their Scudetto triumph last season.
They are also well and truly out of the title race, with the Partenopei sitting 19 points clear at the summit of Serie A.
Milan’s place in the next year’s Champions League is far from being sealed as they are fourth in the table, only a point ahead of fifth-placed AS Roma.
Pioli heaped praise on the Partenopei’s incredible form this season despite losing key players like Kalidou Koulibaly, Dries Mertens and Fabian Ruiz but insisted that no team is perfect or unbeatable.
“Honestly, when in the summer they [Napoli] lost important players and had signed two strong players, not known and appreciated in our football, to think they could do this football was difficult to predict,” said Milan’s head coach (h/t Football Italia).
“Afterwards they’ve shown great consistency, strength, and quality, they have all the characteristics of a great team. However, nobody is perfect or unbeatable.”
Milan fell short against the Neapolitans in the home leg earlier this season, and it remains to be seen whether they can redeem things in the reverse fixture at the Diego Maradona Stadium.
The two teams will face each other again in a little more than ten days in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg played at San Siro.
The odds are in favour of Luciano Spalletti’s men heading into the weekend’s clash as they have picked up three consecutive victories following the set-back against Lazio.
Milan will enter the contest with the worst possible form, having failed to register a win in their last four games.
They have already been dealt with a huge blow following the injury to Pierre Kalulu, who will miss the weekend’s action against the Serie A leaders.
The Rossoneri have to be at their best and need a miraculous effort to thwart the Partenopei.
