Tiemoue Bakayoko is determined to line up for AC Milan in the Champions League next season despite conceding that his future is a "blur". The France international joined Milan on loan at the start of the campaign from Chelsea, with the Italian club having an option to buy the player for a reported €35 million (£30m/$40m) fee.  Bakayoko recently confirmed that a permanent move is dependent on the club's ability to secure a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The 24-year-old has enjoyed his time in Serie A so far after struggling to make an impact at Stamford Bridge and, despite admitting that his future remains unclear, his focus is squarely on helping the Rossoneri qualify for European football's premier competition. "When I think of my future, it is a total blur," he told France Football. "I cannot empty my head. "I'm doing everything to qualify for the Champions League. It's been five years since the Milan fans have heard the Champions League anthem and I want to be there the next time it sounds in San Siro. "I'm having a good season, I'm very grateful to Milan. I'm very happy here, although at first, I was criticised. But it's normal, they expected more, there is no problem."  Gennaro Gattuso's side are third in Serie A, four points clear of fifth-place Roma, and travel to Chievo on Saturday. Bakayoko joined the Blues in 2017 after helping Monaco to secure a surprise Ligue 1 title win. The team from the principality also reached the Champions League semi-final in a remarkable season that saw the rise to prominence of a number of stars, including World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe was sold to Paris Saint-Germain at around the same time that Bakayoko left for Stamford Bridge, as Monaco's championship-winning team was broken up in the wake of their success. Bakayoko appeared 43 times in all competitions for Chelsea in his debut season, but failed to recreate the form that had seen him shine in the French top flight, and was allowed to leave for San Siro in the summer of 2018.  

AC Milan were aided by Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli's howler as the Rossoneri moved above city rivals Inter and into third place in Serie A thanks to Saturday's 1-0 victory. Riding an eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions ahead of this encounter at San Siro, Milan had been further boosted on Friday by their neighbours' surprise 2-1 defeat at Cagliari. And Gennaro Gattuso's side took full advantage as Sassuolo contributed to their own downfall, Pol Lirola putting through his own net before, midway through the second half, Consigli came out of his area but misjudged the flight of a long ball and hauled down Krzysztof Piatek. Consigli was shown a straight red card, which effectively ended the visitors' hopes of a comeback as Milan consolidated their position within the Champions League qualification places thanks to a fourth straight league triumph. Despite having little to play for, mid-table Sassuolo posed plenty of problems and were the first to threaten, Gianluigi Donnarumma making a fine save to deny Filip Djuricic's glancing touch at the near post. But it was the hosts who forged ahead 10 minutes prior to the interval as Suso's right-wing corner took a flick off Manuel Locatelli and, with Mateo Musacchio and Piatek in close attention, deflected in off the unfortunate Lirola. Jeremie Boga curled an effort off the right-hand post as Sassuolo sought a response and the forward did find the net with a fine finish shortly before the break only to see the goal correctly disallowed for offside. Consigli's moment of madness arrived in the 64th minute, the keeper seeing Franck Kessie's long pass bounce over his head before he instinctively reached out to grab Piatek's left shoulder. Sassuolo brought on back-up Gianluca Pegolo, who saved smartly from Hakan Calhanoglu soon afterwards and Milan comfortably held on in the closing stages to leapfrog Inter.   What does it mean? Milan boost their top-four hopes Victory lifts Gattuso's men four points clear of fifth-placed Roma, who face Lazio in the derby later on Saturday. Poacher Piatek causes panic He may not have extended his Serie A scoring streak to a fifth game, but Piatek's chasing of Kessie's long pass prompted Consigli to rush hastily from his line and, when he sensed he would not reach the loose ball, the striker ensured his fall would see his opponent punished. Consigli consigned to an early bath The visiting keeper could do little about the goal that ultimately decided the game, but his grave error in judgement hamstrung his team-mates' efforts to salvage at least a draw. Key Opta facts - Last time AC Milan were in the top three in the second of the season was back in 2012-13 on matchday 38. - Milan have kept clean sheets in each of their opening four home Serie A matches of the year for the first time since 1993. - Milan have benefited from more own goals (4) than any other team in Serie A this season. - This was Gennaro Gattuso's 50th Serie A match in charge of Milan (W25 D17 L8). The last Milan boss to have won at least 50 per cent of his first 50 matches was Massimiliano Allegri. What's next? Milan visit Chievo next Saturday, while Sassuolo play host to second-placed Napoli a day later.

AC Milan head coach Gennaro Gattuso is refusing to think about the impending derby against Inter and insists his side's focus is squarely on their next two Serie A games. Milan are two points behind their third-placed city rivals and one point ahead of Roma in fifth with the result of the derby on March 17 likely to prove pivotal in the race for a Champions League qualification spot. Gattuso, however, has his sights set firmly on extending the Rossoneri's winning streak in the league to four games against Sassuolo at the San Siro on Saturday. "Before the Inter match, there are two vital games to play against Sassuolo and Chievo," he told a media conference. "We must focus on these matches, then we'll think about the derby. "We now have only finals left to play, and we'll prepare for them all in the best possible fashion. "Sassuolo have good players and they play Roberto De Zerbi's style of football. We must show them respect. The main thing is to maintain consistency both in defence and in our general play." Spanish forward Suso has now failed to score since January 21 after another frustrating outing in Tuesday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Lazio. Gattuso, though, has backed the 25-year-old to rediscover the form that saw him linked with Real Madrid earlier in the season. "He's going through a bit of a tricky spell," he added. "However, Suso isn't a problem for me. He was out for a month and maybe this has impacted him physically. "He needs to remain calm because he has the qualities to do well and give us great support." Inter, meanwhile, are still dealing with the situation involving striker Mauro Icardi, who continues to be left out of the club's match-day squads despite being their top scorer across all competitions, notching 15 strikes in 28 appearances, and the striker could mis the derby as a result. The Argentine has not been selected for four successive matches, missing both legs of their Europa League knockout tie against Rapid Vienna and back-to-back Serie A games against Sampdoria and Fiorentina since a bust-up with the club following comments made by his wife and agent Wanda Nara saw him stripped of the captaincy. 

Gennaro Gattuso felt AC Milan made too many mistakes in attack but praised his team's defensive work after a 0-0 Coppa Italia draw with Lazio on Tuesday. The Rossoneri arrived at the Stadio Olimpico on a three-match winning run yet struggled to make an impact in the first leg of the semi-final, leaving striker Krzysztof Piatek an isolated figure up front. Lazio made sure Tiemoue Bakayoko was shackled by consistently pressing the deep-lying midfielder when Milan had possession, though Gattuso criticised his side for not finding alternative ways to build attacks from deep. However, the stalemate leaves Milan in a strong position to progress to the final at the expense of their opponents for a second straight year. They needed penalties to prevail in Rome after two scoreless games between the clubs last season but have home advantage for the second leg this time around, with the fixture taking place in late April. "It was a step back in terms of quality from recent games, but we knew it would be decided over 180 minutes," Gattuso told Rai Sport. "We were up against a physical side in Lazio who always push four or five men up, so we did very well in defence. Unfortunately, we made a lot of mistakes in the final third and gave Piatek no service at all. "[Joaquin] Correa was marking Bakayoko and we should have tried to play through the other midfielders, but we kept trying that central channel. "We didn't pass it properly, we allowed five or six dangerous counter-attacks. I don't agree with those who said Lazio weren't in good shape either, as they have a way of acting sleepy and lowering the tempo, then hurting you." Lazio had 16 shots in the contest but too often made life easy for visiting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, managing to hit the target only four times. Yet despite the result leaving them with work to do at San Siro, boss Simone Inzaghi was pleased with the home side's performance, particularly as they nullified opponents who have been in such excellent form. "We were only missing a goal, but the lads put in a great performance, were always very focused against Milan, the form team in Serie A right now," Inzaghi said in his post-match interview with Rai Sport.  "We allowed Milan nothing, not even a save for a corner, but the regrets are that we didn't manage to score. At least if we were to draw at home, 0-0 was the best result."

Lazio failed to capitalise on having home advantage in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final as they were held to a 0-0 draw by AC Milan on Tuesday. The battle between the last two beaten finalists never sparked into life at the Stadio Olimpico, though the outcome was hardly surprising considering they had failed to muster a goal between them in both meetings at the same stage of the competition last season. Milan eventually went through to the final on penalties and the Rossoneri will be favourites to progress again this year with the second leg at San Siro, though the return fixture is not until late in April. Lazio had the best opportunity to break the deadlock, Ciro Immobile carelessly shooting wide from a central position inside the penalty area to let Alessio Romagnoli – who had scuffed his clearance straight to the striker – off the hook in the opening half. Both Francesco Acerbi and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic also failed to hit the target from long range and while Lucas Leiva did force Gianluigi Donnarumma into a save, his curling effort was straight at the goalkeeper. Milan, meanwhile, were not helped by the loss of Franck Kessie, the midfielder substituted just before the half-hour mark having suffered an injury in an earlier challenge. The visitors did briefly pose more of an attacking threat after the break, only to soon drop back and force their opponents to make all the running. Milinkovic-Savic drifted a header over from a corner but did test Donnarumma from distance, his deflected strike comfortably held by the Italy international, who kept a clean sheet a day after celebrating his 20th birthday. Donnarumma also got down low to deny Joaquin Correa, yet Milan's last line of defence was underworked by the hosts in a game that will not live too long in the memory of those who witnessed it.   What does it mean? Semi-final sitting in the balance With Juventus' domination over – they have won the past four finals in the competition – and Fiorentina taking on Atalanta in the other semi-final, both Lazio and Milan will fancy their chances of Coppa Italia glory this season. Their semi-final remains up for grabs with 90 minutes (at least) to play, albeit Gennaro Gattuso will be the happier of the two managers following a forgettable stalemate in Rome. Orsato makes his mark in dull draw With little to split the sides, one moment of excellence – or a dodgy decision – had the potential to be crucial in the tie. However, while the two sets of players were below par, referee Daniele Orsato was outstanding, including twice refusing to be fooled by theatrical falls from Lazio forward Correa in key situations. Immobile miss may hurt Lazio's hopes After three goals in Lazio's last two Coppa fixtures, Immobile fluffed his lines when it mattered against Milan. While Mateo Musacchio's attempted block may have had an impact, he should have at least hit the target from such a prime position before the break. Key Opta facts - Milan have won only one of their last 11 matches away from home against Lazio in all competitions (D6 L4), after have won five of the previous seven (D2). - Lazio had drawn 0-0 the first leg of a semi-final in the Coppa Italia only two twice before this game (v Inter in 2007-08 and v Milan last season) - and were eliminated on both occasions. - Milan are unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions and have equalled their longest unbeaten streak this season (between August and October 2018). - Krzysztof Piatek made only 26 touches in the game - the lowest tally among the outfield starters in the game. - Sergej Milinkovic-Savic attempted six shots, only one less than the total shots attempted by AC Milan (seven). What's next? With the return leg nearly two months away, both teams will focus on the fight for a top-four finish in Serie A. Milan host Sassuolo on Saturday while Lazio have the small matter of a derby fixture against Roma on the same day.