Milan Coach: We Respect Juventus but Do Not Fear Them

Paulo Fonseca, AC Milan’s coach, stated on Friday that his team does not fear facing an unbeaten Juventus in the Italian Serie A.

Milan has played one less match than its title rivals, but three losses have placed them in seventh position as they try to catch up with Juventus, who are one spot ahead.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday’s game, Fonseca said:

“It’s not decisive, but it’s important, like every other match. I can’t say the match against Juventus is more significant than the next one (in the league) against Empoli because we need consecutive wins. It’s a different match, but I always think positively. We are Milan, and we have great respect for Juventus, but we do not fear them. We are here and ready to win.”

Juventus will be without their top scorer Dusan Vlahovic for this match, but Fonseca is well aware of the abilities of his potential replacement, Timothy Weah, having previously coached him at Lille in France.

Fonseca commented:

“Juventus adapts very well. I don’t know if Weah will play. He’s extremely quick, attacks the depth, and is not like Vlahovic. Of course, it won’t be the same. We’ll need to pay more attention to his movements in behind and less to his hold-up play because he doesn’t contribute as much in that area.”

Although Fonseca’s first season with Milan hasn’t always yielded consistent results, he has secured significant wins at crucial moments, such as victories against rivals Inter Milan in the league and more recently against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

He added:

“I think it’s about motivation, not pressure. It’s easier to feel motivated against teams like Inter, Juventus, or Real Madrid, but it’s harder to maintain the same drive when playing teams like Cagliari. The pressure is always there, every day. If we don’t want to handle the pressure, we shouldn’t be here.”