The highly anticipated first leg of the quarter-final in Champions League will take place between two Italian football giants, Napoli and AC Milan, at the iconic San Siro Stadium – home of AC Milan.
AC Milan secured the second position in the group stage, just behind Chelsea, and managed to defeat the North London outfit Tottenham Hotspurs with a narrow aggregate scoreline of 1-0 in the round of 16. The Rossoneri have been experiencing a mixed run of form lately, having recorded three draws, one defeat, and a solitary win – but guess the win was against which team – league leaders Napoli -the Rossoneri defeated the blues by a thumping margin of 4-0, that too at Napoli’s home stadium. Their last game against Empoli ended in a stalemate, with the match ending in a goalless draw
On the other hand, Napoli finished at the top of their group, ahead of the mighty English club, Liverpool. In the round of 16, they secured a convincing 5-0 aggregate win against Eintracht Frankfurt. Napoli has been the team to beat this season, sitting comfortably at the top of the Serie A table with just three defeats in 29 games. The difference between the top two sides is significant, with Napoli leading by a staggering 16 points.
We expect a fierce contest as both the teams know each other so well. The top bookmakers in India have fantastic Champions League odds with them.
AC Milan dropped points against Emboli in the league as they played out a 0-0 draw, Stefano Pioli's decision to rest his first-team players in the previous game highlights the significance of this quarter-final clash against Napoli. Despite dominating the game, Milan struggled to create scoring opportunities, which will undoubtedly be a concern for the team. However, their defense has been in excellent form, conceding just four goals in their last five matches, which bodes well for their chances in the upcoming game.
The same team is expected to play, which defeated Napoli in early April. Here is the predicted line-up:
Predicted Lineup: Maignan, Calabria, Tomori, Kjær, Theo Hernández, Tonali, Krunić, Bennacer; Diaz, Leão, Olivier Giroud
Napoli continued their domination in the Serie A with a hard fought 2-1 victory against Lecce. The team had one of their worst defeats ever with AC Milan defeating them 4-0 earlier this month, this will surely be present in the back of their head and the team might have to shrug it off before the fixture.
Osimhen and Simeone both are doubtful because of injuries and the blues will miss their services. The expected XI for Napoli could look like this:
Predicted Lineup: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Lobotka, Anguissa, Zielinski; Lozano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia
Napoli may be considered the favorites for this match, but their recent defeat against Milan will undoubtedly play on their minds. Both teams have formidable defenses, and as a result, we anticipate a low-scoring affair. Based on our analysis, we predict a draw between these two Italian giants.
However, in football, anything can happen, and we look forward to a competitive and exciting match at the San Siro Stadium.
