Milan coach Conceicao puts family ties on hold ahead of Juve clash

Sergio Conceicao assured AC Milan fans that he would not get misty-eyed when taking on his son Francisco, who plays for Juventus.

Conceicao was appointed as Milan’s new coach on Monday, after the Serie A giants parted ways with Paulo Fonseca.

His first match in charge will be the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against Juve on Friday.

The clash between two of Italy’s great clubs will see father take on son, with Francisco Conceicao having signed for Juve from Porto last summer.

However, Milan’s boss is not getting sentimental.

“I just have a cold and I’ve had a fever these days, if you see my eyes are a little shiny it’s because of that. At home I’m his father, tomorrow my son will be my opponent: he will think the same way,” Conceicao said.

“I want to beat him as he wants to beat me. I hope I don’t make him happy.”

The Coach speaks ahead of #JuveMilan

Initial impact
‍ The group
Facing Juventus#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/1x5aA5AmsO

— AC Milan (@acmilan) January 2, 2025

Conceicao was quick to point out he has had little time to prepare for his Milan bow.

“I found a team that is humble, eager to learn, and wants to understand what the coach requires,” he said.

“This is very important; it is the foundation for quality work, in my opinion. We haven’t had much time to work, but we’ve been effective in conveying what is needed.

“If you had asked me whether I would have liked more time to work and have all the players available, I would have said yes.”

Juve are the team that have won the Supercoppa Italiana the most times (nine), while Milan have lifted the trophy on seven occasions.

There have been three previous meetings between Juve and Milan in the competition. The Bianconeri won the most recent one (1-0 in 2019), after the first two matches ended in penalty shoot-outs (one win each).