Vincenzo Montella: San Siro key in AC Milan v Juventus

Omnisports

October 20, 2016 11:23 PM

AC Milan head coach Vincenzo Montella believes the San Siro crowd could be pivotal in their Serie A meeting with Juventus on Saturday.

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AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella has called on the crowd to play their part when Juventus visit San Siro in Serie A on Saturday.

The Rossoneri, unbeaten in five league games, have moved within five points of the champions, who lead the table.

Milan's last league victory over Juve came back in November 2012, when a Robinho penalty sealed a 1-0 win in front of a packed stadium.

Although Montella feels next Tuesday's trip to Genoa will give a better indication of his side's progress, he is keen for another full house on Saturday to help Milan earn a positive result.

"I'd love to see a big crowd, involved in the game, as I've heard as a player before," he told a media conference. "I'm curious to see a full San Siro, but you need to have concentration.

"We want to do well, though the game against Genoa will be more important to understand where we stand."

Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta described the prospect of facing Milan as "risky" this week, admitting he did not expect them to be challenging at the top of the table.

Montella, however, has warned against falling "into the trap" of allowing compliments to distract his players from a daunting task.

"I expect the team to play with confidence, courage, humility and sacrifice. You need to do everything, to [do] your utmost for a good match," he said.

"There's no safe strategy to beat the champions of Italy. You have to know how to suffer, how to wait, and do everything the right way. This is a Milan side that has to play without any worries.

"But I don't want to talk too much about nice things and fall into the trap. People giving out compliments can be used as a distraction. These words were spoken with sincerity but they must not distract us.

"The game will be dangerous. It must be approached with the utmost humility and mental freedom.

"We're talking about a team ready to fight for the Champions League."

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