Allegri’s Locker Room Jokes and Milan’s Super Cup Stakes: Napoli Looms

Conference

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan's coach, spoke about his team's preparations for facing Napoli, Thursday, in the Italian Supercup semi-final.

Allegri appeared in the press hall at the 'First Park' complex, the 25,000-seat stadium hosting the semi and final.

He opened with a light tease to ease nerves, asking the room, 'You all here, right?'

Italian and Saudi reporters filled the back rows as the conference unfolded.

Allegri said: We aim for the final. Napoli are strong; we will seek balance, and they will be angry after their Udinese defeat. It’s a one-off, different, and packed with high-value players today.

He gave the latest on injuries: Fofana has recovered and will be available; for Liao, we’ll see. Jimenez will undergo surgery tomorrow. He had been recovering but the ankle problem flared again. We hope he returns soon.

He added: The transfer market hasn't been discussed yet; our priority is to recover players, then we'll assess January opportunities for the squad ahead.

Allegri also noted summoning six players from Milan’s 'future squad' in the fourth tier: goalkeeper Pietarilla (who has trained with the first team), defenders Sala, Dutto, Vladimirov, and forward Borsani, plus the standout Max Ibrahimović, 19, Zlatan’s son.

The Italian coach added: 'Young players have potential; I wanted to reward them for what they contribute in training properly'.

Finally: 'Napoli players were very aggressive against Juventus and Roma; we must be able to play well technically'.