Champions League: Capello advises Milan as injured Leao resumes training 

Football legend Fabio Capello has explained what AC Milan must do if they are to stand a chance of a comeback in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter.

In his first five seasons as a manager, Capello won four Serie A titles with Milan as well as the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating a heavily-favoured Barcelona 4–0 in a memorable final, so it would be fair to say he knows what it takes to win.

Milan have it all to do if they are to reach the final in Istanbul however, after they lost the first leg of the semi-final on Wednesday night as Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored in the opening 11 minutes to give the Nerazzurri a 2-0 advantage.

Capello spoke at the Milan Football Week event put together by La Gazzetta dello Sport, with his comments relayed by MilanNews starting with an assessment of the Euroderby.

“May Milan come together again. To see a great match, you have to hope that Milan will come back fast, attentive and concentrated and won’t concede anything to Inter. Inter are a team that don’t always pay attention to every detail,” he said.

Milan come into the game after a 2-0 loss to Spezia which further complicates the top-four bid, with Inter having beaten Sassuolo 4-2.

“Pioli said it was important, now we will see the result. The problem must be solved at home: talking between the coach and the players.”

 “City have fewer flaws than Real, but Madrid’s imagination can be dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Pioli has been handed a significant boost ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter on Tuesday night, as Rafael Leao took part in training with the rest of the first team squad at Milanello on Sunday morning. 

The Portuguese international was subbed off 11 minutes into the 2-0 win over Lazio at San Siro last Saturday after picking up an issue with his left adductor, which eventually ruled him out of the first leg of the European derby. 

According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio on Sunday, Leao is heading towards a recovery in sight of Tuesday night’s crucial Champions League clash. 

The 23-year-old reportedly worked with the rest of the group on Sunday morning, excluding the final practice match at the end of the session for precautionary measures. 

Leao’s absence was felt by Pioli and the rest of the Rossoneri squad during the first leg against Inter, as they fell 2-0 behind after just 11 minutes of the tie. Milan will need a statement performance on Tuesday if they are to overturn the two-goal deficit inflicted upon them by Simone Inzaghi’s men.