<p>After losing to rival Inter over the weekend, Milan manager Stefano Pioli reaffirmed that his team has shifted all of their focus to their debut Champions League match against Newcastle United.</p>
<p>The seven-time European champions Milan were crushed by their arch-rivals Inter by a score of 5-1, which extinguished all the positive momentum that had been generated since Pioli completely rebuilt the Milan squad with new additions, allowing the team to win three games in a row before to the international break.<img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-190306″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/theindiaprint.com-69ce36dc91c9d347260f75aa8e5bfb2f.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com 69ce36dc91c9d347260f75aa8e5bfb2f” width=”1442″ height=”962″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/theindiaprint.com-69ce36dc91c9d347260f75aa8e5bfb2f.jpg 640w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/theindiaprint.com-69ce36dc91c9d347260f75aa8e5bfb2f-150×100.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1442px) 100vw, 1442px” title=”Prior to facing Newcastle United in the Champions League, Milan manager Stefano Pioli looks beyond their defeat in the Derby 6″></p>
<p>It was the sixth loss in as many Milan derbies in 2023, with Inter winning four games—including the Champions League semifinal from previous season—by an aggregate score of 12-1.</p>
<p>“We had a lot of faith and positivity for the derby, but it didn’t go well, there’s no point hiding it,” Pioli told reporters.</p>
<p>It was a major letdown, but the Champions League is a good thing since it’s the only chance to turn things around.</p>
<p>“These derby losses hurt… Unfortunately, things happened the way they did despite my best efforts to modify them.</p>
<p>Milan has been placed in a difficult Group F together with Borussia Dortmund and the French champions Paris Saint-Germain; a successful opening against Saudi Arabia-backed Newcastle at home would be the ideal remedy for Saturday’s setback.</p>
<p>“I know I have a good team, and this group of players will be able to get over a really difficult derby,” remarked Pioli.</p>
<p>“I owe the fans a debt of gratitude because they stuck by us last year when we were faltering and playing terribly,” the player said.</p>
<p>After being sold to Newcastle in July, Sandro Tonali will return to the San Siro sooner than anticipated. This is one of two significant changes that have occurred this summer, the other being the firing of club legend Paolo Maldini as technical director.</p>
<p>Italian midfielder Tonali, a lifelong Milan supporter, was an important member of the squad that won its first league crown in 11 years in 2022.</p>
<p>“It will be difficult. Sandro is a fantastic player and helped us get to where we are now, according to Pioli.</p>
<p>“It will be traumatic for him to return to the San Siro. We won together, we grew together. We wish him the utmost luck in his next encounter.</p>
<p>After stopping a run of three consecutive Premier League losses with a 1-0 victory against Brentford, Newcastle enters its first Champions League encounter in twenty years.</p>
<p>After recuperating from a thigh injury that kept him out of both of Italy’s most recent Euro 2024 qualifiers, Tonali is ready to play on Tuesday. Tonali acknowledged that it was tough to leave Milan.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old stated, “I will have strong feelings, but I won’t understand what it means to have returned until I play at the San Siro.”</p>
<p>“It was a challenging summer… I will have to do my best to control my emotions since Milan is the club I support and the one that provided me the opportunity to realize a dream.</p>
