Sergio Conceicao assured AC Milan fans he would not get misty-eyed when he came up against his son Francisco, who plays for Juventus.
Conceicao was appointed as Milan's new coach on Monday after the Serie A giants parted ways with Paulo Fonseca.
His first match in charge will be the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against Juve on Friday.
The clash between two of Italy's biggest clubs will pit father against son, with Francisco Conceicao signing for Juve from Porto last summer.
However, the Milan boss is not getting sentimental.
“I just have a cold and have been running a fever lately. If you see my eyes are shining a little, that's why. At home I am his father, tomorrow my son will be my opponent: he will think the same way,” Conceicao said.
“I want to beat him like he wants to beat me. I hope I don't make him happy.”
The coach speaks before #JuveMilan
First impact The groupFacing Juventus#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/1x5aA5AmsO
— AC Milan (@acmilan) January 2, 2025
Conceicao was quick to point out that he has had little time to prepare for his Milan bow.
“I found a team that is humble, eager to learn and willing to understand what the coach needs,” he said.
“This is very important; in my opinion it is the basis for quality work. We have not had much time to work, but we have been effective in communicating what is needed.
“If you had asked me if I would have wanted more time to work and have all the players available, I would have said yes.”
Juve are the team that have won the Supercoppa Italiana the most times (nine), while Milan have lifted the trophy seven times.
There have been three previous meetings between Juve and Milan in the competition. The Bianconeri won the most recent one (1-0 in 2019), after the first two matches ended in penalty shoot-outs (one win each).
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