What Milan need to win Europa League - Football Italia

Milan have been eliminated from the Champions League, but are now among the favourite sides to win Europa League.

The Rossoneri faced Champions League elimination in December, winning just two games from six in the so-called ‘Group of Death’ that also included Newcastle United, PSG and Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga side secured the first spot, followed by the French club, while Milan managed to finish third thanks to a stunning 2-1 win away at Newcastle in the final group stage game.

It was a bittersweet night for Stefano Pioli’s men as they beat one of the richest clubs in Europe, but the draw between Borussia and PSG in Germany led to their elimination from Europe’s elite competition just six months after a semi-final against Inter.

Now, as José Mourinho would say, the Rossoneri are among the ‘sharks’ who dropped from the Champions League to the Europa League and by going through the list of offshore sportsbooks in 2023, the Rossoneri are among the favourite sides to lift the trophy in May, but other big clubs are ready to go all the way until the Final.

First of all, Milan must go through the Europa League knockout phase, where they will face Rennes. The Serie A giants are the clear favourite in the meeting with the French club, but should not take a victory for granted.

Benfica, Roma and Gennaro Gattuso’s Marseille are also involved in the Europa League knockout phase, while Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, Villarreal, West Ham, and Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton have already qualified for the Round of 16 and are also among the contenders to win the trophy.

Milan coach Pioli has recently confirmed that Jan-Carlo Simic won’t be included in Milan’s Europa League squad and the coach’s decision makes sense as the injured Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu and Malick Thiaw are expected to return to action in the coming weeks and be available for the second part of the campaign.

The Rossoneri are still short of options in defence, with Simon Kjaer and Matteo Gabbia, who returned from a loan spell from Villarreal in January, as the only fit centre-backs for the Rossoneri.

Gabbia has been included in Milan’s Europa League squad alongside new signing Filippo Terracciano and Ismael Bennacer who has recently returned to action following a knee injury suffered in 2023.

Milan are one of the most storied clubs in Europe and surely one of the best teams left in Europa League, but they know history and experience alone won’t be enough to win the trophy.

During the Europa League knock-out phase, they’ll need to be clinical and ruthless in front of the goal, something they lacked during the Champions League group phase, ultimately leading to their elimination. They will also need to see their best defenders return to action so that Pioli can rotate in league and European matches. The Rossoneri will have a packed fixture list from February and having as many players as possible available will be key if they want to lift the Europa League trophy for the first time in the club’s history.