CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | BARCELONA - AC MILAN
Allegri: "It's hard to feel relaxed playing at Camp Nou"
In Monday's press conference, AC Milan's coach said that his team "must play better than they did at San Siro if they want to make the quarter-finals".
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AC Milan coach Max Allegri is not a person who buckles under pressure - at least that was the impression he gave in Monday's press conference, just 24 hours before his side attempt to defend a 2-0 lead in the Champions League Last 16 return leg at Camp Nou.
Have you thought a lot about the game? "It will be a difficult, complicated match. We will be playing against the best team in the world, and they will be trying to come back into a tie they are losing 2-0. My team must play better than they did at San Siro if they want to make the quarter-finals".
Barça tactical changes: "We'll wait and see what they decide to do. Last year, they played with three centre-backs twice. I imagine it will be quite similar to the first leg".
Objective: "If we don't concede a goal, we'll go through. Potentially, Barça could put a few goals past us, without even thinking about what happened in the first leg".
Would it be a catastrophe to be eliminated? "No, I don't think so. When we were knocked out at the Emirates last season, we had a disastrous half hour. It won't be a catastrophe - we didn't expect to be coming here with a two-goal advantage. Nobody expected that. I think everyone thought both legs would be a stroll for Barcelona and the fact that it's us who have the upper down is credit to the lads. But we shouldn't be thinking about the 2-0 result from the first leg.
Parking the bus: "I don't think we should talk so much about catenaccio. With the data we have studied on Barça, they always make their rivals play in the same way. They always have 60-65 per cent possession. We will just let them have the ball, but not let them near our area. If we don't play it that way, it will be complicated for us",
Bolstering the midfield: "We will play with three strikers up front; I am in no doubt about that. Barça are so technical that you can never be relaxed playing against them. I want to see my team take on Barça as though we are at our stadium, in front of our fans. I want to see how my team reacts playing at a stadium like Camp Nou.
How to stop Messi: "Barça are a highly experienced side and if we focus on that then we shouldn't have problems. But anything can happen in football but with a little luck, and playing as we know how to, we could make the quarter-finals".
