AC Milan were knocked out of the cup last year. With Leão it was difficult, sometimes it was burning, but my performance was improving, says Zima

Defence will be key for Slavia tonight. The player who helped AC Milan knock them out of the national cup last year will help the Prague team in the Europa League eighth round on Italian soil. It was difficult then, especially with Leão, but his performances have graded.

He knows Italy well. After all, he has played thirty-four games for Torino FC in Serie A. If it hadn’t been for injuries, David Zima could have done a lot more in the past three years. Now, however, the stopper is back on the roster of Slavia Prague and is preparing for the clash with AC Milan.

“I have a lot of memories of the San Siro. We played here in the third round of Serie A and lost 3:1. I watched the game from the bench. I have a better memory from last season, when we knocked AC out of the domestic cup at the San Siro,” Zima recalls on Slavie’s website.

It is expected that Zima will start in the starting line-up tonight, thanks to his great experience with Italian football. According to Jindrich Trpišovský, Tomas Vlček will also play in defence. And who will be the third in the party? Igoh Ogbu or Tomas Holeš?

AC Milan have a dangerous offensive line, especially with Leão

A four-defender back line is also an option, but a three-stopper option is more likely. Either way, the Sixers will have to deal with a literally brutal offensive force that has already scored fifty-one goals in the Italian league. What about the likes of Rafael Leão?

“I have met Leão a few times. The first time it was quite difficult, I didn’t know him yet, and sometimes it burned. As time went by and with each game, experience and confidence came, my performance improved,” Zima is not afraid of a sound opponent.

But alongside the Portuguese, the 23-year-old back will also catch other stars of the seven-time Champions League winner with his teammates. Pulisic, Giroud, Loftus-Cheek or Theo Hernández sound really dangerous.

We will see how Slavia will stand in the end tonight, the match at the iconic San Siro starts at 9pm.

Source: SK Slavia Prague, UEFA