Milan vs Napoli: Preview and Prediction
In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Milan will host Napoli at San Siro. The defending champions of Serie A will square off against the front-runners in this season’s race for Scudetto.
Napoli was drawn into Group A alongside Ajax, Rangers, and last season’s finalists, Liverpool. They kicked off their campaign against Liverpool in a highly dominant fashion by winning 4-1. They managed to keep their winning form alive as they took down Ajax and Rangers in both home and away legs. They only lost their last match, which was against The Reds 2-0.
On the other hand, Milan was in Group E with English Giants Chelsea, RB Salzburg, and Dinamo Zagreb. Milan won three out of the six group-stage matches that they played. Out of the three remaining fixtures, they lost both matches against Chelsea and also played a draw against RB Salzburg.
Current Form
After topping Group A ahead of Liverpool, Napoli squared off against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Round of 16. The UEFA Europa League defending champions were humbled by Naples in the first leg by 2-0.
Victor Osimhem and Giovanni Di Lorenzo found the back of the net for their side as Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani was shown a red card. After stunning the home team at the Deutsche Bank Park, Luciano Spalletti’s team moved forward for their home leg.
Hence, The away leg was also full of disappointment for Eintracht Frankfurt as they failed to break the deadlock and lost by the margin of three goals. Osimhem again proved to be dangerous for The Eagles as he netted twice. Moreover, Piotr Zieliński’s penalty was the final nail in the coffin for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Napoli’s performance under Luciano Spalletti has been brilliant even in Serie A. They are 16 points clear of the second-placed Lazio and 21 points clear of the third-placed Roma. Moreover, Victor Osimhen has scored 21 goals for Naples in the Italian league this season.
Talking about Milan, they found Antonio Conte’s Tottenham as their competition in the Round of 16. In the first leg, Brahim Díaz’s early goal emerged as the winner for Milan as no other goals were scored in the fixture in both legs.
Milan’s first-leg win was their first-ever triumph over the Spurs as they lost two and drew two earlier. Tottenham’s attack failed miserably in front of Milan’s defence. They failed to make an ample number of chances to even get in the driver’s seat. Hence, Antonio Conte’s side got eliminated from the UEFA Champions League with an aggregate scoreline of 1-0.
The Serie A defending champions are having a hard time in the domestic league this season. They’re currently in the fourth spot with 52 points. Their arch-rivals, Inter are just one point behind them while Atalanta can also come forward to catch Milan and hurt their possibility of European football next season.
Head to Head Record
In the last 32 matches between the sides, Napoli has won 12 matches while Milan has recorded a win on eight occasions. The Naples have an upper hand in the overall meeting, however, when it comes to European fixtures, Rossoneri has also dominated their Italian rivals.
Their last meeting was a nightmare for Napoli as they got lashed by Milan 4-0 at their home stadium. Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao, and Alexis Saelemaekers got their names on the screen sheet for Rossoneri, while without Victor Osimhen, Napoli looked lethargic in the attack.
Team News
Milan will be hoping to get the better of their opponents
A major blow for Napoli awaits as they’ll face Milan without their main man, Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian target man has been in exceptional form this season. Moreover, pairing up with Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen was the forthright reason behind Luciano Spalletti’s side’s win.
Following Osimhen’s absence, Giovanni Simeone’s presence is also under a massive question mark. That leaves a huge room for the possibility that Giacomo Raspadori will lead the pack for Naples. After being absent against Lecce, Piotr Zielinski will be back in action against Milan.
Rossoneri rested their first team players in their fixture against Empoli, so, they’ll have a well-rested squad ready to host Napoli at San Siro. Former Liverpool attacker Divock Origi got a chance in Milan’s last game. However, with the return of Olivier Giroud, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll get to play in the UEFA Champions League.
Predicted Starting XIs
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan, Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez, Sandro Tonali, Rade Krunic, Ismael Bennacer, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao, Olivier Giroud
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kim Min-Jae, Mario Rui, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski, Hirving Lozano, Giacomo Raspadori, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Prediction
Whenever Napoli plays against Milan, 2.63 goals are scored in every match. Hence, Rossoneri will try their best to make a lead over Naples in the first leg following home advantage. Also, because of the recent win over Luciano Spalletti’s side, the five-time UEFA Champions League winners will be walking in confidence.
Victor Osimhem and Giovanni Simeone’s absence will be a major blow to the attacking front of Napoli. However, they can still manage to hold the match or even win it. Hence, Milan is expected to triumph over their arch-rivals with a narrow difference of a single goal.