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Ruben Amorim believes his Milan side are in the ideal frame of mind ahead of their first major test of the Serie A season, away to Juventus on Saturday evening, but stressed that he is not feeling any extra pressure before the meeting with the Bianconeri because, in his view, ‘big matches are the same as the small ones’.

Amorim has enjoyed a flawless start to life in Serie A after consecutive wins over Torino and Venezia at the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign and his spell as Milan’s new head coach.

Milan now prepare to face a Juventus team that has also won its opening two Serie A fixtures. Should Amorim lead the Rossoneri to another victory, he would become the first Milan coach since 1958 to win each of his first three league games in charge.

TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan reacts during the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

The Portuguese coach spoke at his usual pre-match press conference before Saturday’s trip to Juventus.

The opening questions put to Amorim concerned the recent visit from club owner Gerry Cardinale, though the coach made it clear he does not see it as a particularly significant story.

“I talk to Gerry Cardinale and Massimo Calvelli every day, so for me it’s normal, it’s more ‘news’ for you journalists.

“As for the transfer market, the first thing I want to say is that I’m really happy with the work we’ve done. If we look at all the names, I think everyone would agree that we’ve brought in some top-level players, who will give us a big hand this season and in the future. That was our goal.”

Amorim was also asked about his decision to bring Fikayo Tomori back into the first-team squad. The England defender had been told to find a new club and was left out of the Rossoneri set-up during the summer transfer window, but he has lately resumed training with the rest of the squad after remaining at the club.

“With Tomori, it’s a simple answer. We had a problem with Gabbia and we still don’t know how that situation will evolve, a bit like what happened with Gila during pre-season,” said Amorim. “Looking at the calendar, we have a run of four games in the space of just 10 days, so we knew we had to protect ourselves. We’ve simply made ourselves more safe.

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan celebrates the victory at the end of the Serie A match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Also, Tomori was already training well, he’s in great condition, he has experience and knows the environment. In the end, the team is always the priority. The best choice for the group was to bring Tomori back into the squad and it was a natural technical and tactical decision.”

Amorim was then asked to rate Milan’s summer transfer window out of 10.

He replied confidently: “My players are some of the best in the world, so I’m not going to say it’s an ‘8’ or a ‘9’, every player we’ve brought in is perfect for our team, so I’ll give it a ‘10’. I have the best squad in the world.

“You have to look at the situation and we understand that two strikers with different characteristics could have been helpful. We don’t know what will happen, maybe we will be a bit short in that position, but I think I’ve already answered that question in the last press conference, we have to give space for Camarda.

“I think we can also play with three rotating players in attack. As you can see, we play a lot of man-for-man here, so sometimes having a striker with a profile more similar to Pulisic, for example, can be helpful in certain games.

Francesco Camarda scores from the penalty spot during a pre-season friendly between Celtic and Milan at Celtic Park

“I think it’s a balanced squad. We will have to rely on Camarda, who will have his place, and we will see how it goes. It all depends on results: If you win, everything is fine. If you lose, it’s a big problem. But that’s the reality for any coach. Anyway, I will say again that I am really happy with the team I have at my disposal.”

Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modric, Christian Pulisic and summer arrival Diego Moreira are all still waiting for their first starts of the 2026-27 season, but Amorim was not prepared to reveal much about his intended line-up.

“We’ll see. I won’t reveal tomorrow’s starting XI, not today. Nowadays, with the rotation options you see, it’s important to keep the starting XI to yourself.

“Moreira has been training for two weeks. He came to the game against Torino after just one week, now he has two, and it’s been a long week. He’s more prepared compared to last week, he’s an option. Hutchinson is also an option in two different roles. We’ll have to see who will be in the starting XI.”

Amorim was asked whether he had any message for Inter head coach Cristian Chivu, but his response was brief: “Nothing, I’m only thinking about my game. If we win, we will be in the lead, probably with a few others. I’m only thinking about my own team and there is a lot of work to do.”

Amorim was then told that he appears to be a coach who relishes the biggest occasions, unlike Chivu, who found it difficult in direct meetings with title rivals during his first season with Inter last year.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 05: AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim looks on during the pre-season match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Optus Stadium on August 05, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images)

“I think it depends on the pressure you put on yourself,” said the Milan coach. “For me, a big match is the same as a small one, you have to win every game. So as far as I’m concerned. I can’t accept this mentality of it being a ‘big’ match compared to games against ‘small’ teams. Every game is a big game.

“If we go back to pre-season, we weren’t winning and already the pressure was there. We were rotating all the players, a lot of travelling, whatever, but we weren’t winning and the pressure was already there.

“As a result, it’s always a big match for the big clubs. But I do understand the interest around a team like Juventus. It’s a good test to see if we’ve improved compared to last week. It’s important that we play well away from home against a good team and a great coach. I’m excited, I’m not worried, I think my team is ready.”