Pioli silent as Milan plan changes ahead of Roma

Stefano Pioli will not hold a press conference ahead of Milan’s Serie A match against Sassuolo, amid reports of massive squad rotation for the Europa League and Roma.

The Week 32 fixture kicks off at the Mapei Stadium on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT).

Although they are eager to keep the pressure on Serie A leaders Inter, the priority now will be to prepare the squad for next Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final showdown at the Stadio Olimpico.

They were beaten 1-0 at home by a Gianluca Mancini header in the first leg and are expected to rest several big players including Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.

Pioli has also not scheduled a press conference in the build-up to the match, perhaps eager to avoid too many questions about the Europa League.

Meanwhile, the defeat prompted an analysis of their record in the ‘big’ games so far this season and it did not make impressive reading for Pioli.

In all competition, the Diavolo managed seven wins and seven defeats in 18 top fixtures, drawing the other four.

These included a 5-1 Serie A loss to rivals Inter, 3-0 away to Paris Saint-Germain, plus home setbacks to Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta in the Coppa Italia and Roma in the Europa League.