Milan are in good hands with new owners, says Pioli

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MILAN, Italy : AC Milan will be well taken care of by their new owners following the club's recent takeover, coach Stefano Pioli said on Friday, while all eyes are on Saturday's Milan derby in Serie A with both sides missing key players.

U.S. investment firm RedBird Capital joined forces with the owners of the New York Yankees to complete the 1.2 billion euro ($1.2 billion) acquisition of Italian champions Milan, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The owners will be at the stadium tomorrow, they will probably meet the team," Pioli told a news conference.

"I met (RedBird founder Gerry) Cardinale, he made me very enthusiastic. (Former owner U.S. private equity group) Elliott has brought Milan back to the top and the new ownership has the same ambitions. We are in good hands."

Milan, who were held to a 0-0 draw at Sassuolo on Tuesday, will have a chance to take an important step towards building on last season's success on Saturday when a win over local rivals Inter could prove crucial in their defence of the title.

Following Milan's 2-1 derby victory last February, courtesy of an Olivier Giroud double, Pioli's side will be looking to win consecutive games against Inter for the first time since 2011.

"We both know each other well, so tomorrow we will see more or less the same players who starred last season," Pioli said.

"Oftentimes in recent editions Inter have come out on top, but not necessarily because they were outplaying us. They are dangerous from set pieces and restarts, so we will make decisions according to aspects such as these.

"It will be an even contest with no clear favourite. We must not lose focus for even a second. Effort, aggression and sacrifice will all be