APPIANO GENTILE – "We're concentrated and ready. We know that tomorrow in San Siro we'll be up against a team who have made an excellent start to the season and who have the same number of points as Fiorentina and Roma."
Andrea Stramaccioni is not underestimating tomorrow's opposition but he was also clear about what result he expects - nothing less than a win.
"It's a game with a high difficulty level but with all due respect to Catania, our aim must be a win at all costs. We're ready for them, we've made good use of these days we've had to get some good work done," the coach added.
"Catania normally manage to raise their game in matches like this. Having studied them I see they rarely get their approach wrong against big teams like Juventus, Inter etc. But the real masterpiece, to my mind, was the way they held off Napoli with 10 men. They know how to hurt you too. It will be a great game to watch tomorrow. Selection doubts? No, I don't have any doubts."
On the subject of team selection, Stramaccioni was asked if there's a chance we might see a surprise in the line-up against Catania, such as a three-pronged strike force with Palacio, Cassano and Milito. "Surprises? I'll have to get a huge dome put over the whole of La Pinetina... [smiling]. I can't come up with something new every game. Those three together would be wonderful attacking trio, for sure. A fascinating idea but the problem is supporting them, getting the rest of the team set up the right way so that we can afford the luxury of having those three. It's an idea that intrigues me but you need to figure out the right time to do something like that. I'm not excluding anything. Am I glad to have Palacio back? Of course, he's a player who offers us something no one else in the squad does. That's why we so wanted to bring him here. He's someone who can get in behind the opponents' backline."
