On Wednesday, a duel of calcio titans will take place on the continental arena. Seven-time European champions AC Milan will welcome first-time quarterfinalists Napoli to San Siro. Napoli will be playing in the tournament for the first time.
Milan will look to repeat the four-goal victory they earned in Naples earlier this month when they face Napoli for the first time in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Napoli, who are almost certain to dethrone the Rossoneri as Italian champions in the near future, will look to continue their scintillating form in Europe’s premier club competition.
Milan vs Napoli Stats & Facts
- In the history of European competition, this will be the first time that AC Milan and Napoli have faced one other.Milan have only lost one of their nine all-Italian games in Europe (W4 D4), whereas Napoli have one win and one defeat versus other Italian Clubs outside of domestic football. Milan have a better win-loss record.
- Only one of Milan’s last nine home games against Napoli in any competition has resulted in a win for the home team (they’ve drawn three and lost five), and that one win came in the quarter finals of the Coppa Italia in 2018-19. In point of fact, Napoli has triumphed in all of their most recent three away matches against Milan (all of which took place in Serie A), the most recent of which was a 2-1 success earlier this season.
- The current winning streak for Napoli versus AC Milan is their best ever such run away from home. They have won each of their last three encounters. Despite this, Napoli have not been victorious in any of their previous five cup competition matches played away from home versus Milan (D2 L3).
- Milan have advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona knocked them out of the competition in 2011-12. This is Milan’s first appearance in the quarterfinals since that season.In the 2006–07 season, when they last took first place in the competition, they advanced further than the quarterfinals for the first time.
- It is the first time in Napoli’s history that they have advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Cup or Champions League. In their most recent appearance in a European quarterfinal, which was in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, they were ousted by Arsenal.
Milan Vs Napoli Squadlists
Here are the players that both Stefano Pioli and Luciano Spalleti have at their disposal in this Champions League encounter.
Milan
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Ciprian Tatarusanu, Devis Vasquez, Antonio Mirante
Defenders: Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, Matteo Gabbia, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez, Fode Ballo-Toure, Davide Calabria, Sergino Dest, Alessandro Florenzi
Midfielders: Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Timeoue Bakayoko, Tommaso Pobega, Rade Krunic, Aster Vranckx, Charles De Ketelaere, Brahim Diaz, Yacine Adli
Strikers: Rafael Leao, Ante Rebic, Alexis Saelemaekers, Junior Messias, Divock Origi, Olivier Giroud, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Out/Injured (currently): Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Napoli
Goalkeepers: Alex Meret, Pierluigi Gollini, Hubert Idasiak, Davide Marfella
Defenders: Min-Jae Kim, Amir Rrahmani, Leo Ostigard, Juan Jesus, Mathias Olivera, Mario Rui, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Bartosz Bereszynski
Midfielders: Stanislav Lobotka, Diego Demme, Piotr Zielinski, Frank Anguissa, Eljif Elmas, Tanguy Ndombele, Karim Zedadka, Gianluca Gaetano
Strikers: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Alessi Zerbin, Hirving Lozano, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Victor Osimhem, Giovanni Simeone
Out/Injured: Victor Osimhen
Recent Form
Napoli (WLWWW):
Currently 1st in the Serie A
- 2-1 vs Lecce (W)
- 0-4 vs Milan (L)
- 4-0 vs Torino
- 3-0 vs Eintracht Frankfurt
- 2-0 vs Atalanta
Milan(DWLDD):
Currently 4th in the Serie A
- 0-0 vs Empoli (D)
- 4-0 vs Napoli (W)
- 1-3 vs Udinese (L)
- 1-1 vs Salernitana (D)
- 0-0 vs Tottenham (D)
Match Preview – Milan vs Napoli
Milan have made it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2012. Despite the fact that the defence of their Scudetto has not gone according to plan, as Wednesday’s opponents have pulled ahead at the top of the table, Milan have still managed to advance to the last eight of the competition.Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona knocked the giants from Lombardy out of the competition; the previous time they reached the semifinals was almost five years earlier, when they went on to win the most prestigious title in European football for the seventh time.
A far cry from their previous outing, in which they summoned up the form and fortitude of last year’s run to the title by beating an unusually shaky Napoli side 4-0 at Stadio Maradona, the Rossoneri preserved their place in Italy’s top four with a grim goalless draw at home to Empoli last Friday. Ahead of their first leg contest this week, the Rossoneri will be competing against Empoli in a match that will be played this week.
The gap of 22 points that currently separates them from the top of Serie A means that securing a place in next season’s Champions League via their league finish is now the sole domestic focus for Stefano Pioli’s side, who have already been eliminated from the Coppa Italia. Despite landing such a psychological blow, the gap of 22 points that currently separates them from the top of Serie A.
Milan have been particularly difficult to beat in Europe. This is despite the fact that they have frequently lacked fluency, as Rafael Leao’s struggles following the World Cup have continued and Pioli’s paper-thin squad too often fails to rise to the occasion. This includes a gritty stalemate at Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16, which secured a slim 1-0 win on aggregate, and the Group E runners-up have kept clean sheets in each of their last four Champions League matches.
Milan will want to continue that trend against the 2022-23 edition’s top scorers before travelling to Naples the following week for the return leg, and a glance at the history books suggests that they can; the Rossoneri have lost only one of nine previous all-Italian match-ups in continental competition.
Overall Betting Tips
- In the last 32 matches that have been played between these two sides, Napoli has come out on top 13 times, while AC Milan has been victorious only eight times. Napoli’s recent record against AC Milan is quite impressive.
- AC Milan has only one loss to show for their nine matches played against other Italian teams in the European competition, whilst Napoli has one win and one loss to show for their participation in such matches.
- Only one of AC Milan’s last nine home meetings against Napoli in any competition has resulted in a victory for the club, and that win came in the quarterfinals of the 2018–19 Coppa Italia. Napoli has won seven of those nine home games against AC Milan.
- The current three-game winning streak that Napoli has versus AC Milan outside of their own stadium in all competitions is the best run that Napoli has ever had against the Rossoneri.
- AC Milan has advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The last time they reached this stage of the competition, they were eliminated by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Betting Markets
Napoli is on a three game streak of not keeping a clean sheet, meanwhile they have also seen more than 2.5 goals scored in 4/5 games. I’d say it’s pretty likely that both teams score and there are over 2.5 goals in the game. The 4-0 defeat that Napoli received from Milan is deceptive, I think they’ll give it their all this time around for Champions League glory
BTTS Verdict: Yes
Over/Under Verdict: Over 2.5
