The Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim, the coach of the Italian Milan, admitted that his team faces a possible mental problem at the beginning of the matches, after losing to its guest, Benfica, 0-2, at the beginning of its European League campaign, stressing at the same time his readiness to modify his tactical style if necessary.
Milan suffered its first defeat under Amorim's leadership, after the team tied in its previous two matches against Juventus and Lazio in the Italian League.
Amorim said: “I don’t know if the problem is mental, but it is the second match in a row in which we are not present during the first half. We cannot receive such a goal, because we are already suffering in creating chances, and when that happens we feel stressed and anxious, and things become more difficult.”
He added that the team needs more organization, explaining that most of the chances created by competitors come after Milan loses the ball.
Amorim defended some of his options, after Luka Modric remained on the bench throughout the match, while Diego Moreira was absent from the starting lineup despite scoring two goals against Lazio.
He explained that Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic were not in the best preparation to play a full match, while Moreira missed training for two days due to personal circumstances. He also admitted that his players did not make the required movements behind Benfica's defense, which limited the spaces for the attacking midfielders.
On Sunday, all eyes will be on the French football Clasico between defending champion Paris Saint-Germain and its host Marseille in the fifth round of the league, in a confrontation between two teams whose start to the season was not up to expectations.
Saint-Germain, which is playing without its fans at the Velodrome Stadium by decision of the Ministry of the Interior, seeks to confirm its awakening when it is a heavy guest on its arch-rival Marseille, which is in thirteenth place with four points from a win and a draw.
После A shaky start to the season, in which they failed to achieve victory in the first three matches of the local league. The machines of Spanish coach Luis Enrique's team began to regain their luster after a crushing victory over Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia 6-1 in the opening round of the unified group stage of the Champions League, before following it up with another victory, albeit less prolific in scoring, over Brest 1-0 in the league.
“El Clásico” is one of the most tense and intense confrontations in French football.
Saint-Germain fans will be prohibited from attending the match at Velodrome Stadium, or even being in its vicinity.
A decision issued by the Ministry of the Interior stated: “On Sunday, September 20, it is prohibited to move individually or collectively, by any means, for anyone claiming to be a fan of Paris Saint-Germain, or acting on this basis, between the municipalities of the Ile-de-France region on the one hand and the city of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) on the other hand.”
This decision comes after another issued on September 9 by the delegated police prefecture in Bouches-du-Rhône, prohibiting on Sunday any Saint-Germain fan from “entering the Velodrome stadium or stopping or moving on public roads in the city center and in the vicinity of the stadium.”
Saint-Germain is counting on its star-studded arsenal, led by Ousmane Dembélé, the best player in the world for the year 2025, and is also armed with the remarkable presence of its new striker, the Spanish Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal against Brest.
In turn, Marseille relies on the strength of its midfield, led by Danish Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Englishman Angel Gomez, with the aim of disrupting Saint-Germain's offensive build-up from deep, and launching quick and lightning transitions.
The irony is that Marseille had defeated its rival in the confrontation that brought them together in September of last year at the Velodrome Stadium, 1-0, with an own goal by Brazilian Marquinhos, which strengthens the ambitions of coach Bruno Genesio’s team to repeat the victory.
As for Saint-Germain, which started the season with a loss in the French Champions Cup against Lens, and then settled for two points from 3 matches in the league, it hopes to achieve its second victory locally.
On the other hand, the other pole of the capital, Paris FC, seeks to confirm its strong start when it hosts Strasbourg in a confrontation between two teams that were strongly present at the beginning of the season, on Saturday.
Paris FC ranks fourth with 8 points (two wins and two draws), on goal difference from Lyon, which hosts Rennes in a difficult match, while Strasbourg comes sixth with 7 points (two wins, a draw and a loss).
In turn, Monaco seeks to take the lead, even if temporarily, when it hosts Lens, last season's runner-up, on Friday at the opening of the stage.
Having started the season strong with three consecutive victories, including over Saint-Germain 2-1, the principality team fell into the trap of a 1-1 draw against Strasbourg last week, losing the lead on goal difference to Lille, while also leading on goal difference over Rennes III (10 points).
Brazilian coach Filipe Luis' men are looking to continue the consistent performances before the international break, which will give them a great morale boost at the beginning of a long and arduous season.
Lewis is counting on the young German striker Paris Broner to continue his brilliance, after he scored 3 goals in 4 matches, including a remarkable brace that led his team to victory over its guest Marseille in the second stage (2-0).
On Friday, Monaco has the opportunity to extend its unbeaten record at home in League 1 to 6 consecutive matches this month. Its last defeat in league matches at its home stadium in “Louis II” during the month of September dates back to 2023, when it lost to its traditional rival, Nice, 1-0.
For its part, Lens started the season strong, after defeating Saint-Germain in the French Super Cup match, before opening its league campaign with a sweeping victory over Auxerre 5-2. However, the team quickly lost the sparkle of its start, after suffering two losses, and contented itself with a draw in its last three matches, falling to tenth place with 4 points.
In turn, Rennes and Lille are looking to maintain their unbeaten record when they play against Nice and Lyon on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, the Spanish Real Madrid striker, confirmed that he “stands in solidarity with Ceuta” and its residents, following his wrapping up the warm-up shirt before his team’s match against Elche. Which led to part of the support message printed on it being hidden.
Before the match, Real Madrid players wore T-shirts bearing the phrase: “We are all from Ceuta,” in reference to the residents of the Spanish city, which is located on the northern coast of Africa, while Mbappe and his teammates Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate chose to roll the shirts up to hide part of the phrase.
“I want to make it completely clear so that people understand,” Mbappe said. The decision to put the shirt on and wear it was made by the two clubs, and we players had to wear it. The first thing I want to say is that I stand in full solidarity with Ceuta and with all the victims.”
The French player added: “Before I am a footballer, I am a human being, but I also wanted to make a gesture and think about all the immigrants who lost their lives and who live in difficult circumstances.”
He explained: “It was not easy to take this position; Because in the end people might think that I am against the people of Ceuta, but no; at all. I have nothing against them, I support them 100 percent, but I also wanted to think about all the people who are suffering; Because in the end, I am a human being and I do not want to give priority to one suffering at the expense of another.”
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted Mbappe as saying: “There are people who are suffering, and this hurts me when I see what is happening in the world. I am a young man who wants the best for the world we live in. “I want to send a positive message and a message of peace, and I hope this situation will be resolved quickly.”
Last July, Ceuta witnessed tens of thousands of migrants crossing from Morocco by swimming and using primitive methods, in an incident that resulted in the death of more than 100 people.
