Peter Crouch insists AC Milan will miss talisman Rafael Leao against rivals Inter
‘It’s a BIG blow’: Peter Crouch insists AC Milan will miss out on talisman Rafael Leao against rivals Inter as the striker misses the race against time to be fit for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final
Peter Crouch has described Rafael Leao’s absence from the Champions League semi-final as a “huge blow” to AC Milan.
Leao has missed the race to be fit for the match, after pulling out with a muscle injury just 10 minutes into Milan’s 2-0 win over Lazio on Saturday.
The striker was still out on the training ground at Milanello while the rest of AC Milan’s squad arrived at the team hotel on Tuesday morning but missed the game.
“It’s a huge blow, he makes the difference,” Crouch said. “We saw the run where he goes past three players and puts it on a plate for Giroud.
“There is no one else in that Milan team who can do it. He’s the difference. They are big moments, players have to step up, Diaz, Giroud, they still have players who can score and create things.
Rafael Leao has missed the race against time to be fit for the first leg in the semi-final of the Champions League between AC Milan and Inter
The attacker trained on Tuesday but will miss the game, which Crouch labeled as a ‘big blow’
Peter Crouch insisted the Portuguese striker’s absence would be a “huge blow” to AC Milan
Having racked up 13 goals and 10 assists so far this season, Leao has often been the man Stefano Pioli’s side turned to in their hour of need.
Fans and the team were concerned when he limped early into the weekend, but the club gave nothing away ahead of the game.
Sky Sports Italia had reported that it would be known over lunch whether he will be fit to play tonight, but that deadline has come and gone.
However, further reports from Italy suggested that he will not be fit enough to start.