Bournemouth director delighted with Milan draw: “One of the biggest games ever”

AFC Bournemouth director Tiago Pinto has described drawing AC Milan as a ‘dream come true’ for the club.

While Milan gear up to face Venezia at San Siro tonight, Daniele Massaro was in Monaco for then Europa League draw. The result was a tough group featuring the likes of Benfica, Olympiacos, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Ferencvaros.

Pinto spoke to TNT Sports to give his reaction to the draw, which sees the Cherries face Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo and Sparta Prague as well as the Rossoneri.

What is your reaction to drawing Milan?

“I’m very happy. It’s a great joy for our club to be on this stage and play against a great team like Milan: it will be the most important match in the club’s history. Among other things, it will be against my friend Ruben Amorim, but we’ll try to fight and win.

“For us AC Milan is like a dream come true. It’s going to be amazing, maybe one of the biggest games ever in the Vitality Stadium. In Premier League we have a lot of big games, but getting a giant like AC Milan is unbelievable.”

Are Juventus and Milan the teams to beat?

“In my opinion, yes. In European competition, Italian teams are always there. I hear a lot of criticism, but Inter have reached two Champions League finals, Roma have won the Conference League, and Atalanta have won the Europa League.

“However, Juventus and Milan, despite being in a slightly different phase of their history, are the teams to beat.”