“We can compete with Milan, we won’t just defend” – Vieira prepares Genoa for challenge

Genoa head coach Patrick Vieira spoke confidently ahead of the upcoming match against AC Milan at San Siro on Sunday evening. Vieira emphasized his team’s readiness to compete rather than simply defend against a formidable opponent.

“We are not worried about what happens at Milan; we focus on ourselves,” Vieira stated. “We are aware that we are facing a strong team with an excellent coach, and we need to play the right game to take what we can from it. We have prepared to compete. They have players like Hernandez and Leao, but we must be mentally strong and play with the ball and personality. We need to seek goals through our style of play because we know their qualities, and we don’t want to go to Milan just to defend for 95 minutes. We want to challenge them even in possession.”

Discussing his squad selection, Vieira noted the positive competition among his players. “I have many players making my choices difficult during training. Generally, we are feeling better in terms of confidence, as seen in our last match where we did some interesting things. Vitinha is regaining his rhythm by working well and must continue like this. Similarly, Pereiro and Balotelli are training hard and doing everything they can to challenge me for a spot.”

Reflecting on his past relationship with Milan, Vieira said, “My relationship with Milan has always been positive. I was fortunate to play there with great players. But the important thing for me now is to prepare the team and put in a good performance.”