Gerry Cardinale has publicly backed Ruben Amorim as AC Milan head into a tense week, with a derby on Saturday, a stadium presentation on Thursday and a live search for a new football chief in the background. Cardinale said the team is improving, praised the response after the defeat in Europe and described Amorim's handling of the rotations and substitutions as positive.

Cardinale's backing before the derby

The owner will stay in Milan ahead of two consecutive matches at San Siro, against Bologna on Wednesday and Inter on Saturday 31 October at 20.45. That timing matters because the derby comes with Milan still unbeaten in Serie A, even after eight league matches, and with Cardinale choosing to stress calm rather than amplify the noise around the team.

His comments were not just about mood. He pointed to the intensity Milan kept throughout the match and the way they won the ball back after losing it, which fits the club's attempt to present the run as one of steady progress rather than a side living off short-term momentum. In a week with Bologna first and Inter after that, the public line from the owner is clear.

Inter, Krosche and the new San Siro

The derby still carries a sharp competitive edge. Inter top Serie A with 22 points, four ahead of Milan, and they arrive with a seven-match unbeaten league run of their own. Milan are unbeaten too, which makes this more than a simple form check, but the balance of the table gives the visit from Inter an edge it would not otherwise have.

Off the pitch, Milan's Thursday presentation of the new San Siro project brings another layer of pressure. The plan is for about 71,500 seats, including more than 13,000 premium seats, and it will be officially presented at 16.30 in the Sala Viscontea of the Castello Sforzesco. At the same time, Milan are still working on Markus Krosche, with contacts ongoing and responsibilities yet to be defined, while Eintracht Frankfurt would need to agree to a release before the 2028 deadline.

Cardinale's public tone suggests Milan want the football side and the project side moving together, not in competition with each other. The derby on Saturday will shape the mood, but Thursday's stadium event ensures this is already a week with consequences far beyond one match.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →