AC Milan have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their clash with Tottenham in the Champions League round of 16. The Italian giants travel to London for the first leg on February 14.
Antonio Conte's side look set to be at an advantage ahead of the blockbuster clash, with reports from Italy claiming it's 'highly unlikely' that Mike Maignan will feature between the sticks against the north Londoners. The 27-year-old has been on the sidelines since September; he first suffered a calf injury while on international duty with France before sustaining a knock to the soleus muscle a month later, thus forcing him to miss the World Cup in Qatar.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Maignan may not return until as late as March. However, the report states that AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli is hopeful his star goalkeeper will be available for the second leg on March 8.
READ MORE: When Antonio Conte will return and if Tottenham will sign Bastoni and Maddison in the summer
But, the Rossoneri are yet to set an official date for Maignan's comeback. La Gazzetta dello Sport add that the shot-stopper has been temporarily dropped from Milan's Champions League squad, though he can be re-registered with at least 24 hours before a game.
With Spurs eyeing European glory, Conte has already urged his squad to draw inspiration from the side which reached the final in 2019. The Italian boss said: "We have to be pleased because to stay in the top four and to reach the next round of the Champions League is a big achievement for us.
"My hope is to have all the players available for the second part of the season and then we’ll see, but for sure there is a great desire to continue to improve our path," Conte added. "The Champions League is a tournament in which anything can happen.
"It’s important to arrive in the best physical condition with all the players. In the past it happened for Tottenham to reach the final because especially with this short tournament anything can happen.
"To win the Premier League, the winner in the end is always the one who is best, the team deserves to win across 38 games, but in a short competition, we’ll try to do our best in the Champions League.
"We know our opponent (AC Milan) is an important opponent but we know the game will be balanced. Then to improve. We want to try improve on the points we got last season and to do better. These are our targets."
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