AC Milan is in 3rd place not because they focused on playing in the UCL, but Pioli's strategy at that time was so easy for opposing players to anticipate. Currently Pioli is implementing a new strategy and giving a chance to Jovic. This has provided positive results for AC Milan in the last few matches. Currently, Pioli is starting to feel confident and will probably try to start competing for the Scudetto again. One thing that is homework for Pioli is how to break Inter Milan's dominance when playing in the Derby Della Madonnina.
Currently AC Milan is back on a positive track after being unbeaten in 5 consecutive matches in Serie A and they are only 7 points behind Juventus who are at the top of the Serie A standings.
With quite a lot of matches left and a point difference of only 7, I think the opportunity for AC Milan is still big enough to be able to compete fiercely because the strength of the AC MIlan team this season is quite strong and in my opinion it is quite comparable when compared with Juventus and Inter Milan.