Bavagnoli urges focus to finish off the season

The Giallorosse host the Rossonere at Stadio Tre Fontane a week after both sides clinched their places in this season’s cup final – Roma doing it after a hard-fought win over league leaders Juventus.

Milan, who overcame Inter to reach the showpiece, need to keep winning to have any hope of applying pressure on the table toppers, while Betty Bavagnoli’s side still need to pick up the points that would ensure a top four finish and a spot in next season’s Supercoppa.

“The girls are all doing well, they are feeling good – there’s clearly that joy that comes with achieving something significant like reaching a final,” Bavagnoli said. “It’s an important milestone for us.

“But I said to the girls, the day after, ‘Okay, this is the first day, we enjoy this feeling, and this joy we’ve given to the fans. But from the second day we need to be back and focused on the league and finishing the league season well.”

The quirks of the calendar means that next league game is against the side’s eventual cup final opponents – a setup that Bavagnoli admits will add an extra spice to proceedings.

It’s an important game, it was even before – but now it adds a different flavour to things,” she said.

“It gives us both a chance to have an early look at how things might go in the final. But we’ve prepared well for the game.

“We have a different opinion of ourselves now, of what we are capable of, and we want to continue that and take that into the league – continuing to play well and doing everything we can on the pitch.”