Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

AC Milan will get back into the Champions League - Zambrotta

Former AC Milan defender Gianluca Zambrotta has told La Gazzetta dello Sport he believes the club will rise up the Serie A table and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Zambrotta said coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was the right man for the job, despite Milan lying a disappointing eighth in the table after a frustrating 0-0 draw at Carpi.

They are seven points adrift of third-placed Napoli, who have the final Champions League spot, and Zambrotta sees that as a gap they can overcome.

The 38-year-old, fresh from winning an Italian TV reality show on which he climbed Mont Blanc, told the paper: "They'll make it into the Champions League quite easily.

"It's not going to be simple, but it is doable. It looks a bit harder to go any higher than that, but it's a strange season and we're going to have a lot more fun from it yet."

Zambrotta praised Mihajlovic, saying he was "experienced and has character."

"He's ideal for this climb, and he even has the best tools because he's got a good squad," he said. "Of course he might be lacking something, but I'm not going to be the one to give any tips to [general manager Adriano] Galliani.

"During my time, Galliani was the man who brought in the likes of [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Ronaldinho, Robinho.

"He's got experience and doesn't need anybody to help him. The problem, as we all know, is just the ability to spend. Our league can no longer afford the phenomenal players from yesteryear."

Zambrotta tipped Napoli to finish the season as Serie A champions, adding: "[Coach Maurizio] Sarri deserves it, and so too does the city."

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