What could possibly be worse than not qualifying for the Europa League? Competing in the Europa League preliminary rounds, having finished sixth in the table. That is according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, which views this scenario as a potential nightmare for the Milanese clubs.
Qualifying matches are set to take place on July 27 and August 3, ahead of the the playoff round fixtures on August 17 and August 24. That means starting pre-season training extremely early, which tends to cause fitness problems later in the season.
Another issue arises from the summer tour of Asia, with a Milan derby scheduled for July 24 in Nanjing, on Jiangsu Suning’s home turf.
While it is impossible to split the squad between the two events, both Inter and AC Milan are desperate to return to Europe, albeit in the wrong competition. Failure to make an appearance in Asia would have serious repercussions for either club’s image in the Far East, even if a €3 million loss is not a big deal, especially given Suning’s financial strength.
The possibility of the fixture being rescheduled for the winter break cannot be discounted.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport
