Rate it!

0 votes

The Brazilian has played just one match all season for the European champions because of a series of leg injuries and Thursday's semi-final against Japan's Urawa Reds may come too soon for the 31-year-old.

However, his team mates hope he can be ready for a potential final on Sunday.

"He has a great desire to return, we have been close to him in recent days because he needed us but we also need him on the pitch," midfielder Andrea Pirlo said.

"He is a player that can make a difference. I hope he can train more this week and even play."

Pirlo said Milan were taking nothing for granted against Urawa, who beat Iran's Sepahan 3-1 on Monday.

"We saw them yesterday. They are aggressive, have good players and great fans," he added.

Despite arriving in Japan last Thursday, Pirlo said he was still struggling to deal with being on the other side of the world.

"The time difference is still a bit difficult. For example in the hours after training in the afternoon before the evening it is hard to keep yourself up and awake. But there's still some days to get used to it better and concentrate on the objective," he said.

Reuters