Following a hard-fought battle last week, Napoli and AC Milan meet again on Tuesday for a place in the Champions League semi-finals.
Team Form
Napoli
Napoli, who currently leads the Serie A by a comfortable margin of 14 points with only eight games left, may have their Scudetto title challenged.
In recent weeks, they have been unable to secure a win against Milan and face a deficit to overcome if they wish to progress to the final four of the Champions League.
The team suffered a surprising four-goal loss to Milan earlier this month, which has cast doubt over the obscurity of their home ground, the Stadio Maradona.
In addition, they have also recently lost to Lazio at home, and over the weekend, they could not score against Hellas Verona, a team battling against relegation.
While the game ended in a goalless draw, Osimhen’s appearance as a second-half substitute was met with excitement and anticipation from the home fans.
Napoli Form (All Competitions): W L W L D
AC Milan
Milan is on the brink of another semi-final place in a competition with a rich history, thanks in part to a Mike Maignan-inspired win against Napoli last week.
They managed to nullify Napoli’s attack and secure a victory thanks to a moment of magic from Brahim Diaz that set up a goal for Bennacer.
However, their recent domestic form in Serie A has been rough, with only one win since February. During this period, they were beaten by Udinese and Fiorentina and held to draws by Salernitana, Empoli, and now in-form Bologna.
On Saturday, Milan faced Bologna and fell behind within a minute, but Tommaso Pobega’s powerful strike managed to salvage a point, keeping them fourth in the table and just ahead of Inter.
AC Milan Form (All Competitions): L W D W D
Squad Report
Napoli
Napoli will be without Kim Min-Jae for their upcoming match due to suspension after he received a yellow card for dissent during the closing stages of their match at San Siro. He will join Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa on the sidelines, who is also suspended.
Furthermore, Giovanni Simeone will be absent again due to a thigh injury, which has kept him out of previous matches.
AC Milan
The visiting team is expected to return to full strength for their upcoming match, and no changes are expected from the lineup that secured a win on their home soil last week.
However, there is a notable absence in the form of Swedish striker Zlatan IbrahimoviÄ. He will miss out on Tuesday’s match due to ineligibility and injury.
Napoli’s expected starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Ndombele, Lobotka, Zielinski; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
AC Milan’s expected starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Krunic, Tonali; Diaz, Bennacer, Leao; Giroud
Head to Head
Napoli has had a favourable record against AC Milan, winning 13 out of the last 33 matches between the two teams. In contrast, AC Milan has only secured nine victories during this period.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Tuesday, April 18
Time: 08:00 pm, BST
Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples
Prediction
This tactical approach may prove especially important in their upcoming match against Napoli as they look to overturn the deficit from the first leg. While Napoli may be a strong attacking force, AC Milan’s defence will be key in preventing them from scoring and securing a clean sheet.
Napoli’s attacking flair could be decisive, but AC Milan’s solid defence and tactical flexibility may give them the edge.
