Conceicao ‘felt’ Milan would beat Inter since Atalanta loss, Jovic ‘has lost weight’ | OneFootball

Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao claims that he had a feeling the Rossoneri would beat rivals Inter in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, and has praised Luka Jovic for his recent form, part of which might be down to a recent loss of weight.

Milan beat Inter 3-0 on Wednesday night, securing a 4-1 aggregate victory, which sends them through to the Coppa Italia final, where they will play either Bologna or Empoli depending on the result of the other semi-final on Thursday.

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Conceicao assesses Inter 0-3 Milan

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 23: Luka Jovic of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the coppa Italia Semi Final match between FC Internazionale and AC Milan at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 23, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Though Milan sit in ninth place in the Serie A standings, 20 points shy of the league leaders (Inter and Napoli), they have now gone five games undefeated against the Nerazzurri this season – Three wins and two draws to be precise.

And, even though his side tasted defeat against Atalanta in the league over the weekend, Milan head coach Conceicao says he always ‘felt’ the Rossoneri would be in with a chance of qualifying against their city rivals.

“I’ve had the feeling since the game against Atalanta,” Conceicao told SportMediaset after full-time.  The small details are important – I liked the attitude and the tightness of the team in defence and attack.

“We suffered a bit in the first few minutes, but we scored in the end. We improved a few things at half-time and then had a really top level in the second half. The team has quality, but also humility and a desire to win every game.”

Conceicao also praised both of his centre-forwards, Jovic and Abraham. The former scored a brace on the night against Inter, which means he now has four goals from his last five appearances.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 23: Luka Jovic of AC Milan scores his team’s first goal past Josep Martinez of FC Internazionale during the coppa Italia Semi Final match between FC Internazionale and AC Milan at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 23, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“He’s been working really well for the last three or four weeks, he’s also lost a bit of weight,” Conceicao said.

“He brings us something that we wanted for this game. He doesn’t give anything away to the central defenders, we wanted to have that.”

And on Abraham, Conceicao added: “We also have confidence in the others. Abraham might play in another game. It’s up to me to choose the characteristics that each one has. Tammy came on in Udine and gave us a great response. Everyone always works to their best.”

The coach also gave his final assessment heading into the final against either Bologna or Empoli:

“I’m a fan of this sport. I suffer more than others. I bring football home with me, so my wife will also be happy with this result.

“Our feet are on the ground, we haven’t won anything yet. We have to play a final and make a difference at the end of the league to help our image. We have more quality than what we have shown.”