Amorim: ‘Milan ready for Juventus, no difference between big and small games’ | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim believes that his Milan squad are in the best possible place ahead of their first big test of the Serie A season away against Juventus on Saturday evening, but insists that he does not feel the pressure heading into the clash against the Old Lady, as the ‘big matches are the same as the small ones’.

Amorim previews Juventus vs. Milan

Amorim’s Serie A career has got off to the perfect start thanks to back-to-back victories against Torino and Venezia to start the 2026-27 season and his tenure as the new head coach of Milan.

They are gearing up to take on a Juventus side that has also won their first two matches of the Serie A season. If Amorim guides the Rossoneri to victory, he will become the first coach to win all of their first three league matches in charge of the club since 1958.

TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan reacts during the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

The Portuguese tactician sat down for his customary pre-match press conference ahead of the Juventus trip on Saturday afternoon.

The first line of questioning that Amorim faced was in relation to his recent visit from club owner Gerry Cardinale, but he insists that this is not a major news story.

“I talk to Gerry Cardinale and Massimo Calvelli every day, so for me it’s normal, it’s more ‘news’ for you journalists.

“As for the transfer market, the first thing I want to say is that I’m really happy with the work we’ve done. If we look at all the names, I think everyone would agree that we’ve brought in some top-level players, who will give us a big hand this season and in the future. That was our goal.”

Amorim was asked about his decision to reinstate Fikayo Tomori to the first-team squad. The Englishman had been told to find a new club and was frozen out of the Rossoneri side during the summer transfer window, but has recently returned to training with the rest of the group after staying put.

“With Tomori, it’s a simple answer. We had a problem with Gabbia and we still don’t know how that situation will evolve, a bit like what happened with Gila during pre-season,” said Amorim. “Looking at the calendar, we have a run of four games in the space of just 10 days, so we knew we had to protect ourselves. We’ve simply made ourselves more safe.

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan celebrates the victory at the end of the Serie A match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Also, Tomori was already training well, he’s in great condition, he has experience and knows the environment. In the end, the team is always the priority. The best choice for the group was to bring Tomori back into the squad and it was a natural technical and tactical decision.”

Amorim was asked how he would score Milan’s summer transfer window out of 10.

He gave a confident response: “My players are some of the best in the world, so I’m not going to say it’s an ‘8’ or a ‘9’, every player we’ve brought in is perfect for our team, so I’ll give it a ‘10’. I have the best squad in the world.

“You have to look at the situation and we understand that two strikers with different characteristics could have been helpful. We don’t know what will happen, maybe we will be a bit short in that position, but I think I’ve already answered that question in the last press conference, we have to give space for Camarda.

“I think we can also play with three rotating players in attack. As you can see, we play a lot of man-for-man here, so sometimes having a striker with a profile more similar to Pulisic, for example, can be helpful in certain games.

Francesco Camarda scores from the penalty spot during a pre-season friendly between Celtic and Milan at Celtic Park (via www.acmilan.com)

“I think it’s a balanced squad. We will have to rely on Camarda, who will have his place, and we will see how it goes. It all depends on results: If you win, everything is fine. If you lose, it’s a big problem. But that’s the reality for any coach. Anyway, I will say again that I am really happy with the team I have at my disposal.”

Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modric, Christian Pulisic and summer signing Diego Moreira are still waiting for their first starts of the 2026-27 season, but Amorim was unwilling to give away too many clues about his starting line-up.

“We’ll see. I won’t reveal tomorrow’s starting XI, not today. Nowadays, with the rotation options you see, it’s important to keep the starting XI to yourself.

“Moreira has been training for two weeks. He came to the game against Torino after just one week, now he has two, and it’s been a long week. He’s more prepared compared to last week, he’s an option. Hutchinson is also an option in two different roles. We’ll have to see who will be in the starting XI.”

Amorim was asked if he had a message for Inter head coach Cristian Chivu, but he replied: “Nothing, I’m only thinking about my game. If we win, we will be in the lead, probably with a few others. I’m only thinking about my own team and there is a lot of work to do.”

It was put to Amorim that he is a coach that seems to enjoy the big occasions, compared to somebody like the aforementioned Chivu, who struggled in direct clashes against direct league rivals during his first season with Inter last year.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 05: AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim looks on during the pre-season match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Optus Stadium on August 05, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images)

“I think it depends on the pressure you put on yourself,” said the Milan head coach. “For me, a big match is the same as a small one, you have to win every game. So as far as I’m concerned. I can’t accept this mentality of it being a ‘big’ match compared to games against ‘small’ teams. Every game is a big game.

“If we go back to pre-season, we weren’t winning and already the pressure was there. We were rotating all the players, a lot of traveling, whatever, but we weren’t winning and the pressure was already there.

“As a result, it’s always a big match for the big clubs. But I do understand the interest around a team like Juventus. It’s a good test to see if we’ve improved compared to last week. It’s important that we play well away from home against a good team and a great coach. I’m excited, I’m not worried, I think my team is ready.”