MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 13: AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli shakes hands with Tiemoue’ Bakayoko at the end of the Serie A match between AC Milan and UC Sampdoria at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 13, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli claims that Empoli will be tougher opponents for them than Chelsea. The two sides are to meet each other on October 6 for their Champions League group stage match.
The Rossoneri sit at the top of the group with four points while the Blues are at the bottom with one point. In their respective leagues, both sides are not faring well with Milan currently fifth while Chelsea sits at the seventh position.
And now the Milan boss has taken a jibe at his European rivals. In an interview published in the Metro, Pioli had his say about the two upcoming games for his side.
“I don’t think there’s that much difference between playing well in Italy and in Europe. The Champions League does require a higher tempo, but nothing impossible. I understand there are expectations around the Chelsea games, but I maintain the most difficult match for us will certainly be against Empoli.”
The current Italian champions will travel to face Empoli on October 1 and then will travel to west London to take on the Blues on October 6. Despite the contrasting starts to their European campaigns, Pioli will know that the Blues are his toughest opponents in the group.
Chelsea lost their opening game 1-0 against Dinamo Zagreb, which was also the last game for Thomas Tuchel as the Blue’s coach. The west London side then appointed Graham Potter as head coach and he led his side to a 1-1 draw in his first game in charge against RB Salzburg.
Potter is yet to manage the side in the Premier League, with the west London side seeing two of their league games getting postponed due to the tragic passing away of Her Majesty The Queen.
Chelsea and Milan have met twice on the European stage with both matches ending as draws. Maybe Pioli is afraid that he will become the first Milan manager to lose to the Blues and that’s why he is making such unwarranted comments towards the club.
The Blues will travel to face Crystal Palace on October 1, before preparing for the Champions League game. Fans will hope that their side wins both games. It will be very interesting to see what the Milan boss has to say if the Blues finish top of their group this campaign.
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