Manager and his players hoping to pile more pain on a side reeling from a 5-1 derby defeat to Internazionale
Heightened Italian emotions stem from the Rossoneri’s 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Internazionale last weekend. After refusing to apologise, Stefano Pioli, Milan’s manager, found himself at the eye of a storm, with La Gazzetta dello Sport declaring: “It was five slaps, one after another.” Undeterred, Pioli retorted: “You should only apologise when you do something wrong on purpose.
Newcastle United's Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP via Getty Images Howe’s players will kick off at San Siro buoyed by the 1-0 victory against Brentford on Saturday, that slightly unconvincing win having ended a run of three Premier League defeats in succession.“I think we’ll enjoy Milan a little bit more now,” said a manager whose side must also face Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund in the group stage. “I haven’t been calm for the last three or four weeks because this job is my life.