Milan sweat on Rafael Leão’s fitness before Inter Champions League tie

Milan will make a late call on Rafael Leão’s involvement in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Internazionale, their manager, Stefano Pioli, said on Tuesday after the Portuguese winger suffered a muscle injury.

Leão has been one of Milan’s most influential players this season with 13 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, but he lasted only 12 minutes of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Lazio before being taken off. Pioli said Leão would either start the game or not play at all, adding that the Belgian winger Alexis Saelemaekers was a potential replacement for Wednesday’s match at San Siro.

“Today he [Leão] trained, tomorrow I will decide what to do,” Pioli said, adding that he was not worrying over the 23-year-old’s fitness. “I’m going to bed quietly tonight, anyway in the morning Rafa and the doctor will tell me his condition. If he is well he will be called up, otherwise not.

“If the test is clean he can play. If it is not clean he cannot play – either from the start or the end. I would have preferred to do it today, but it was not possible.”

Milan have had a poor run in the league with only three wins in their past 10 games to slip to fifth – two points behind fourth-placed Inter.

However, Pioli chose to focus on their European run during which they knocked out Tottenham in the last 16 and Napoli in the quarter-finals. “We are talking about Champions League, we have not had ups and downs but an outstanding run,” he said.

His Inter counterpart, Simone Inzaghi, said his side must think on their feet as they attempt to overturn a losing Champions League record against their city rivals.

The two clubs, who have won a combined 10 European Cups, have faced each other on two occasions in the knockout stages, with