Leonardo will look for his players to bounce back from Champions
League elimination to Manchester United by winning at home to
Chievo.
The 4-0 thrashing by United, which saw Milan go out 7-2 on
aggregate in the last 16 tie, has left the Brazilian coach with the
Serie A to concentrate on.
In pursuit of city rivals Inter they need to recover from the
Champions League humiliation as well as their last league outing
which was a 0-0 draw away to Roma.
The good news for Leonardo is Milan welcome back top scorer
Alexandre Pato on Sunday, who missed last weekend's game with a
hamstring injury and also the game at Old Trafford.
Milan's three other injured stars are due to undergo checks
before a decision is made on their fitness.
Full-back Luca Antonini was due to undergo an ultrasound scan
to determine the extent of his right thigh injury.
Fellow defender Daniele Bonera was set for a fitness test on
his injured left calf muscle and Alessandro Nesta's right knee
injury was due to be assessed by a specialist.
Coach Leonardo was philosophical after the defeat to United.
He said: "It would be superficial to analyse this game.
"Without a doubt, this has been a huge defeat against a great
Manchester United.
"We needed everything to go our way in order to go through
but it was not to be."
Leonardo was backed by club vice-president Adriano Galliani,
who also paid tribute to the club's fans who had made the trip to
Old Trafford.
He said: "The best thing about the evening in Manchester were
our fans. We were encouraged and supported to the end, and we
applauded them after the conclusion of the match.
"Even at the airport, we had choirs (of singing fans) and
encouragement.
"Sometimes you see complaints after a team is defeated, but
to us this did not happen and that makes us happy."
Chievo midfielder Giampiero Pinzi has warned AC Milan to
expect a battle when the two sides meet at the Giuseppe Meazza
stadium.
The last time both sides met earlier this campaign, a
last-gasp goal from Alessandro Nesta handed the Rossoneri a 2-1
win.
Chievo, who lost 1-0 at Bari in their last game and will be
looking to consolidate their mid-table position, will be looking to
repeat their performance if not the score from the previous time
they met Milan.
Pinzi said: "We played a great match in Verona against Milan
and we were left with a bitter taste in our mouths with the result.
"Now we go to the San Siro ready to take a win," he added.
"We hope Milan will be tired from their Champions League game
and we can take advantage."
Domenico Di Carlo's side go into the encounter on the back of
the 1-0 loss at Bari which dropped the Flying Donkeys to 12th in
the standings, 12 points clear of the drop zone with 11 games
remaining.
