AC Milan legend Franco Baresi reveals secret of stopping Victor Osimhen 

By Saheed Afolabi

Legendary Milan defender and honorary vice president, Franco Baresi has revealed the strategy the club should use in stopping Victor Osimhen against Napoli.

Napoli forward, Osimhen has been in blistering form in front of goal making him a nightmare to defenders in the Serie A and the Champions League.

Following the pairing of Milan and Napoli in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, the sports administrator has given the Rossoneri players tips to marking the red-hot 24-year-old in the Italian derby.

“They must look at the player, not the ball,” Baresi told Sky Sport Italia.

“We are proud and happy to be here. Now we have an Italian derby and we are a bit sorry because one will be eliminated. We respect Napoli and will face them in the best way, knowing they are strong, but we can do well. We’ll see.

“As a footballer, I never played against an Italian club in Europe, but surely it’s different. We know each other, but the atmosphere will be different.”

Baresi tasked the Rossoneri defenders to always stay close to Osimhen and not give him any breathing space.

“I think that, as you know, when there is a cross, a defender should not be attracted by the ball, but watch his opponent and stay close to him,” he continued.

“Many times, even a small touch is enough to affect the striker. Osimhen is very strong, he can score in any way, we must make all we can to keep him away from the box. Napoli have great awareness, it’s not just Osimhen, we must respect them.”

Napoli have an 18 point lead at the summit of the Serie A with 68 points from 26 matches, while Milan are placed fourth in the Serie A table with 48 points from 27 matches.