Ruben Amorim's clearest message before Bournemouth vs AC Milan is that Francesco Camarda will get more minutes, and Gonçalo Ramos is unavailable because of a calf injury. The timing suits Camarda too, because Thursday's trip could be another step up after a stop-start European run.

Camarda's chance

Camarda made his European debut on 22 October 2024 and had what would have been Milan's first goal disallowed. In Salzburg, he had 21 touches, one successful dribble, one foul suffered, four failed touches and seven completed passes from nine attempts. Those numbers fit Amorim's point from his interview with TuttoMercatoWeb, in comments translated from Italian: "Camarda will play more. We are coming off a situation where we had fewer matches to play and more time to rest. Camarda is learning a lot, but he is ready. He will play more minutes than he has played up to this point. I don't know what will happen between now and December, I just want to win as many matches as possible. This is my focus."

The broader picture around him is fairly clear. Camarda has only one Europa League appearance this season and just 60 minutes in the competition, with no goals or assists yet. Amorim also said: "He has to improve in terms of explosiveness, stride and rhythm. We are working on it, he knows he has the ability to run for 90 minutes. He lacks that, in the box he already knows many things."

Bournemouth's start and Milan's response

Bournemouth arrive with six points from two Europa League wins and a plus-four goal difference, after beating Real Sociedad 2-1 and Sturm Graz 3-0. They have started the competition in the way sides do when everything is clicking, while Milan beat Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 last week and sit on three points from two matches.

Evanilson has already scored once in the Europa League and has seven goals across all competitions this season, so Bournemouth are carrying a proper threat of their own. That gives Thursday's game a sharper edge than a routine group fixture, especially with Milan managing both absences and rotation.

Amorim did not promise a specific role for Camarda, but he did say the forward is ready and that he will play more minutes than he has had so far. The visit to Bournemouth is the first chance to see how much of that plan appears against a side that has made a strong start in Europa.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →