Gianluigi Donnarumma: AC Milan goalkeeper fired up to best Buffon

Milan are coming into this game in strong form with three wins in their last four although they did struggle last time out to break down a solid Atalanta team.

They are in sixth place, nine points adrift of table-toppers Fiorentina and Inter. He’s got a great style about him and he seems to have good mannerisms, the way he plays, is in control of the situation and seems like a likeable person. I am certain we can keep this up.

“My advice to him would be to try to mature as quickly as possible, to understand the rights and wrongs in this context”.

AC Milan’s meeting with Juventus on Sunday will not be decisive in the race for Champions League qualification, according to Giacomo Bonaventura. Martin Caceres, Roberto Pereyra, and Simone Padoin, on the other hand, will all miss out through injury. Gianluigi Buffon, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Mario Mandzukic were subbed off with various ailments in their respective matches: the goalkeeper and the defender due to hamstring problems, the striker because he rolled an ankle.

Buffon’s ambition to have the league champions” “scudetto” (shield) embroidered on his club shirt was achieved eight times in 14 seasons with the Turin giants, although two titles from the 2005 and 2006 campaigns were stripped from Juve after their role in the “Calciopoli’ match-fixing scandal that saw them relegated.

At Parma, Buffon played in several positions before Thomas N’Kono’s performances for Cameroon in 1990 inspired Buffon to grab his first pair of goalkeeping gloves.

“The role you have can change with just ten meters forwards or backwards”, he said.

“It’s like a final”.

“Juve-Milan is always one of the most important games in Serie A and our objective is to climb another spot in the standings”.

“We know our strengths and if we play like we know how we can make it hard for anyone”. Milan lie behind them in joint-second with city rivals Inter on 18 league titles, though of late they’ve been lagging behind their fellow domestic behemoths.

Carlos Bacca, who is Milan’s top scorer with six goals, will lead the Rossoneri’s attack. 20 years on and still number one!

Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Diego Lopez is unavailable with a knee injury which means 16-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma will earn his fifth straight start.

“Fiorentina, Roma and Napoli are playing very well, and are at a good level”.