Stefano Pioli insists Milan ‘want to be protagonists’ in the Europa League, warns of the dangers provided by Rennes and explains his midfield picks.
It kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Feyenoord-Roma on the LIVEBLOG.
The second leg is in France next Thursday evening and the winner will go through to the Europa League Round of 16, as this is the intermediary stage between the teams who drop down from the Champions League and those who finished runners-up in their Europa groups.
“We are resuming our journey in Europe, where we want to be protagonists,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“Our opponents are certainly not easy to deal with, Rennes are in good shape, but we want to start this tournament well.”
Davide Calabria was added to the injury list with Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu, Tommaso Pobega and AFCON participant Samuel Chukwueze, but Malick Thiaw is on the bench for the first time in three months.
“There were no doubts over the support of the fans, they will push us on and we must push on the field. We need a performance with quality and focus, because the Rennes transitions are very dangerous.”
Pioli has chosen to rest Yacine Adli and Ismael Bennacer, giving Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders the midfield partnership.
“Adli and Bennacer were tired after the last game, while Reijnders had missed it due to a ban. These are the best choices for this particular match.”
Rafael Leao has been providing assists, but his goal-scoring has completely dried up so far this season.
“He is happy when he scores or provides an assist. If he scores and we win, then everyone is even happier.”
Pioli a Sky: "Vogliamo essere protagonisti in Europa League. Vi spiego le scelte in mezzo al campo" https://t.co/BuY7Fb44VG
— MilanNews.it (@MilanNewsit) February 15, 2024
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