Milan must tackle Feyenoord clash like a final, says Ibrahimovic

AC Milan step into their Champions League playoff second leg with Feyenoord one goal behind and need to handle the return match with the Dutch squad the same as they would a final, the club’s senior mentor Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Monday.

With Milan boss Sergio Conceicao making his comeback from Portugal after attending the memorial of former Porto chief Pinto da Costa, Ibrahimovic took his place at the media session ahead of Tuesday’s contest at the San Siro.

Milan lost the first leg of the elimination phase playoff 1-0 away from home but will hope to flip things around at their own ground.

“They have to step into this with a final mindset, determined, aggressive, and sharp,” Ibrahimovic told journalists.

“It’s crucial to perform well, but it’s more crucial to succeed. We are down by a goal, we have to secure a result to advance. Everyone has to lift their teammate and make him stay sharp.

“It’s a group effort that starts with some individual moments. Even those on the sideline have to push, it’s all tied to the unit. This is what forms a squad and a team.”

Ibrahimovic also believes the Milan crowd can play a key role in driving the team to get the needed outcome.

“For tomorrow, our supporters are vital, their supporters cheered hard in Rotterdam,” Ibrahimovic said.

“But I am confident that tomorrow with 80 thousand AC Milan backers in the stadium and those worldwide, they will give full encouragement to the squad, which will then have to use this energy to perform at their best.”

Milan center-back Fikayo Tomori is well aware how critical it will be to prevent Feyenoord from scoring again in the second leg, but his squad’s response if they do let one in will be just as key.

“We as a unit and as defenders take the pitch every match with the goal of keeping a clean sheet, and tomorrow we are already lost by one,” Tomori said.

“We know the ability we have, but if we allow a goal, we must not lose focus and keep belief in what we are doing. In the end, we know that we have to and we want to succeed, we have to stay sharp to get what we need.”