Napoli are ready to host Serie A rivals AC Milan in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals clash on Tuesday, 18 April. The two teams played out a heated, tight affair in the previous leg in Milan, and only a 1-0 margin tips the favor to the Rossoneri.
That tiny margin means this tie is far from over and probably the most closely-competed game in the quarter-finals going into the second legs. Napoli have been on fire in Serie A this season and is almost unbeatable at home. They’ve rolled over opponents at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, but Milan did defeat them recently.
This battle between two Italian giants should be a tactical, aggressive affair. The tensions might even reach a boiling point because of the rivalry the two teams possess and the certain aggressiveness that some players add to it.
The team who will be the calmest and level-headed will gain the advantage, with Napoli having the home crowd’s support and a returning goal machine Victor Osimhen to help them try to create a memorable Champions League night in Naples and turn things around from the first leg defeat.
Last 5 Games
Napoli might have more wins than AC Milan in the two teams’ last five matches in all competitions, but the Rossoneri have proven to have their number. Milan has won their last two meetings against Napoli and will aim to make it three in a row on Tuesday.
Napoli
Draw: 0-0 vs Hellas Verona
Loss: 1-0 vs Napoli
Win: 2-1 vs Lecce
Loss: 4-0 vs AC Milan
Win: 4-0 vs Torino
AC Milan
Draw: 1-1 vs Bologna
Win: 1-0 vs Napoli
Draw: 0-0 vs Empoli
Win: 4-0 vs Napoli
Loss: 3-1 vs Udinese
Predicted Lineups
Napoli will be blessed with the return of prolific striker Osimhen, who played from the bench against Hellas Verona at the weekend and should be ready to start this one.
Giovanni Simeone and Gianluca Gaetano remain the injured players for Napoli, who will also miss Frank Anguissa and Kim Min-Jae due to suspensions.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains the only prominent injury for Milan, after having suffered a lot of injury troubles over the last season or so – which has kept him on the sidelines.
Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui, Lobotka, Ndombele, Zielinski, Lozano, Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen
AC Milan: Maignan, Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez, Krunic, Tonali, Diaz, Bennacer, Leao, Giroud
Head-to-Head
Napoli and AC Milan have faced each other in 172 competitive matches across their history, out of which the Rossoneri have won on 69 occasions as compared to Napoli’s 51.
The recent-most game between them was, of course, last week in the Champions League. AC Milan managed to grind out a 1-0 win thanks to an impressive goal from midfielder Ismael Bennacer, giving his side an advantage heading into the second leg.
Where the game will be decided
Napoli are definitely angry after losing their last two games against Milan and will be throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at them in the second leg. They’re likely to dominate the lion’s share of dominance and Milan will be ready to test their defensive resilience against the best team in Italy.
With Osimhen leading the line for them again, Luciano Spaletti’s side will be much more dangerous in the final third than in the last game. The Nigerian forward has been in rich form this season and is revered for his goal-scoring heroics.
This game will be decided on Milan’s half itself, as the Rossoneri will intake a lot of pressure from Napoli’s relentless attacking moves. If the home side is able to break their resolve, then Spaletti’s men could end up running riot and picking up another huge home win.
However, Milan will look to ruin their night by parking the bus with most of their players at the back and hit Napoli on the counter-attacks when they least expect this – which means this back-and-forth contest should be a really exciting one.
Prediction
We back Napoli to complete a comeback and progress to the Champions League semi-finals. They’ve been in the special form at home this season and seem to turn into different beasts under the energy of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
They’ll aim to channel the spirit of the late, great man himself in tormenting Milan with their excellent attacking football. Milan could cause them some problems with their defensive fortitude but are unable to keep them from ultimately picking up a major win.
Prediction: Napoli 3-1 AC Milan
Odds*
Napoli to win: 10/13
Draw: 13/5
AC Milan: 39/10
Napoli are the bookmakers’ favorites to win this game with favorable 10/13 betting odds. That means if anyone was to bet $1 on them to win, the desired result would fetch them a return of $1.77 – with a $0.77 profit.
Milan, on the other hand, have been given 39/10 odds. That means if one was to bet $1 for them to win this game, then they’d get a return of $4.90 – with a $3.90 profit.
*By BetUS At the time of writing
Kick-off Time
The game will kick off at 20:00 GMT and the referee will be Szymon Marciniak.
