Tare: ‘AC Milan long wait for Jashari, trying to find right Maignan path’

AC Milan director Igli Tare is eager to see Ardon Jashari in action against Lazio in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 tonight, while they are ‘trying to find the right path together’ with Mike Maignan.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The winners of this tie will go on to face Bologna in the quarter-final.

As there is no extra time at this stage of the tournament, if the teams are level after 90 minutes, they go straight to a penalty shoot-out.

This is a special match for Tare, who was a Lazio striker first and then a director of sport for over a decade.

“I will not disguise the emotions I feel, because this was my home for 18 years, so I was able to say hello to people who showed me a lot of love over the years,” Tare told Sport Mediaset.

“We know that we are up against a very dangerous opponent, who have the same objective as us, to go all the way in this competition. We made a few changes to give an opportunity to a player like Jashari, who we’ve been waiting to see for a few months.

“It will require a big performance tonight, because it won’t be easy.”

Jashari gets his first start, having been a tough transfer signing from Club Brugge who then fractured his fibula in a training session in August, but has been learning from teammate Luka Modric.

“Having a maestro like Modric is an advantage for any coach or player. They talk regularly, Luka passes on secrets of the profession, so we are all happy that Jashari is finally back and hope to see him celebrating on the field soon,” added Tare.

This match comes just days after a fiery and chaotic 1-0 Milan victory at San Siro, which saw Lazio furious at a late penalty appeal rejected following the VAR review and Max Allegri sent off.

“We are pleased with how the team reacted, as the start of the season was not easy, especially as we had 10 new players. Max and his staff did really well working on the mentality of these players, and we are seeing the results.

“At the same time, we are not even halfway through the campaign, there will be many more joys and difficulties, but our objectives do not change.”

Tare at first jokingly tried to pretend his earpiece wasn’t working when asked about Maignan’s contract, but eventually did give an answer.

“We are focused on the game. Mike is an extraordinary guy, a fabulous goalkeeper, we’re trying to find the right path together, but now we are concentrated on the games,” he smiled.

The goalkeeper is out of contract in June 2026 and negotiations for an extension seem to have been put on ice for the moment, with Chelsea ready to swoop for the free agent.