Ruben Amorim will hear a familiar anthem at San Siro on Wednesday night.
The Portuguese head coach opens Milan’s Europa League against Benfica, the club where he won league titles as a midfielder before moving into coaching. Amorim later became the manager who broke Benfica and Porto’s grip on the domestic title, taking two league crowns at Lisbon rivals Sporting CP between 2020 and 2024.
Ibrahimovic back at Milanello after six months away
The Rossoneri will also have a familiar figure returning in the stands. Zlatan Ibrahimovic walked back into the Milanello training complex on Monday, ending an absence of more than six months from the ground.
Ibrahimovic is Senior Advisor to RedBird Capital Partners, Milan’s ownership group. His last visit came in the closing weeks of Massimiliano Allegri’s tenure, after a confrontation with the then-head coach. According to Sky Sport Italia, he greeted Amorim and the squad before watching training, and he is expected at San Siro on Wednesday.
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Amorim’s Milan unbeaten in Serie A
Amorim was appointed on 16 June after Milan missed out on Champions League qualification. His new side is unbeaten after four league matches, with two wins and two draws.
RedBird owner Gerry Cardinale said Amorim’s Sporting era “reflects the style of play that we are looking for”.
Amorim put his arrival in personal terms.
“There are ambitions that stay with you throughout your career, and coaching AC Milan has always been one of mine,” he said in his first statement as head coach.
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Europe has been less kind to him. As Manchester United head coach he reached the 2024/25 Europa League final and lost 1-0 to Tottenham.
Marco Silva’s summer rebuild at Benfica
Benfica arrive under another Portuguese head coach who took over during the summer. Marco Silva replaced Jose Mourinho at the Estádio da Luz in June, and his side has won all but one Primeira Liga game and has scored 21 goals in six matches.
Silva knows Amorim from their overlapping years in England, where he coached in the Premier League.
“Ruben and I know each other, and Ruben knows me, due to our short time in England,” Silva told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
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Silva also called the fixture “a very difficult match, without a doubt” and described Milan as “a top-quality team”.
Milan unbeaten in six meetings with Benfica
Milan and Benfica have met six times in European competition, and Milan are yet to lose one of them. The Italians beat the Portuguese club in the European Cup finals of 1963 and 1990.
Amorim’s own head-to-head against Benfica is more even. In five meetings during his Sporting years, he collected two wins and three draws against them.
Kick-off at San Siro is 9pm local time on Wednesday.
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