Kylian Mbappé, Ferland Mendy, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, Real Madrid side. Mike Maignan, Théo Hernandez and Youssouf Fofana for AC Milan. One of the shocks of this 4th day of the Champions League between Real Madrid and AC Milan will have a strong French coloring. Seven of the 25 Blues selected for the last Euro will in fact be present at Santiago-Bernabéu. On the Spanish side, Aurélien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are in balance with Luka Modric for a place in the middle. The three Milanese should start as starters.
One of the matches in the match will be the one between Kylian Mbappé and Mike Maignan. On October 25, 2023, during a PSG-AC Milan (3-0), 3rd day of the group stage of the Champions League, the captain of the France team opened the scoring and deceived the goalkeeper by following a leg pass then an uncrossed shot at ground level at the near post (32nd). During the September rally of the Blues and in particular the defeat against Italy (1-3), the two players would have had some differences of point of view.
Like his Real Madrid team, humiliated by Barcelona (0-4) on October 26 during the Clasico, Mbappé is going through a difficult period. His lack of defensive involvement (only 8 km covered against Barça) was singled out, because it would cause an imbalance in the team.
“We play against Mbappé, but honestly, there is no problem between us”
At a press conference, Mike Maignan spoke of the reunion with the Real Madrid striker. “Yes, tomorrow we play against Mbappé, but honestly, there is no problem between us,” said the goalkeeper. We always talk to each other. He is a high quality player, no doubt about it, even if he is going through a difficult time. But I know that tomorrow (mardi) will be difficult. It’s a football match. Whether it’s against Madrid or another team, I always feel the adrenaline. To play correctly, you must remain lucid. We must approach this match with lucidity and a family spirit, without being afraid and doing what we know how to do. »
Decisive during the short success (1-0) this weekend at Monza, Maignan will have to put in a big performance to keep his team afloat, not at best. .AC Milan is only 7th in Serie A and its start to the Champions League is not good, with two defeats to Liverpool (1-3) and Bayer Leverkusen (1-0), for a victory against Club Brugge (3-1). Paulo Fonseca, the former coach of Lille, has been widely criticized since his arrival in Italy.
“Vinicius is sad, but not because of the Ballon d’Or, it’s because he looks at the situation in Valencia”
For his part, Carlo Ancelotti mainly mentioned the tragic floods in the Valencia region. “AC Milan (his former club) ? This is a special match for me, I would love to talk about it, but I will try to talk as little as possible. It’s our job. We have an important and special match against Milan, but it takes a back seat. With what happened, we don’t have the energy to work. We inform ourselves, we watch, we read. And what happened is truly incredible, terrible. »
The Italian coach also made a reference to the Ballon d’Or: “The week was difficult, because the environment is not normal. But not because of what happened with the Ballon d’Or. It happened and that’s it. Congratulations to the winners. The sadness is there, but because of what is happening here in Spain. Vinicius is sad, like us, but it’s not because of the Ballon d’Or, it’s because he looks at the situation in Valencia. »
