MONZA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 02: AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca looks on before the Serie A match between AC Monza and AC Milan at U-Power Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Under-pressure Milan boss Paulo Fonseca is holding on to dear life at San Siro amid the club’s worst Serie A start since 2019/20. A glimmer of light appeared last night as Tijjani Reijnder’s first-half header inspired the underperforming Rossoneri to an all-important 1-0 triumph at Monza.
It was their first away league win without conceding since March and Fonseca’s maiden Serie A triumph in charge of Milan outside San Siro. Last season’s runners-up bounced back from a disheartening 2-0 home defeat to Napoli during midweek to set themselves up nicely for a blockbuster UEFA Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
However, Milan will have to do much better on Tuesday if they’re to build on a 3-1 victory against Club Brugge last time out. They’ll likely need Rafael Leao too. The Portuguese winger came off the bench last night and nearly doubled Milan’s lead after a stunning solo run.
After the game, Fonseca confirmed Leao will probably return to the starting line-up when Milan take on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.
“He is effectivehe entered well. Having this reaction is fundamentalit’s what I want from him. He is ready to play with Real Madrid,” the Milan manager said, as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio.
Before the abovementioned triumph against the Belgian outfit, Milan had lost their first two European fixtures under Fonseca. Therefore, another slip-up against star-studded Real Madrid could spell the end of their hopes of securing automatic knockout qualification.
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