Milan vs Napoli

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The clash between the last two winners of Serie A takes place this Sunday, with AC Milan hosting struggling champions Napoli at San Siro.

Milan strengthened their hold on third place in the standings with a comeback victory against Frosinone, while Napoli managed a narrow win against Hellas Verona.

Milan, currently trailing Inter Milan by four points, staged a late rally in their recent match against Frosinone, overturning a 2-1 deficit in the final 20 minutes. Matteo Gabbia scored an unexpected equalizer before substitute Luka Jovic netted the decisive goal, adding to Milan's record of most substitute goals in Serie A. Jovic, in particular, has been prolific since December, boasting the best scoring ratio across Europe's top five leagues.

Despite conceding goals in their recent matches, Milan has shown improved attacking prowess, recording an average of 2.5 points per game over the last eight rounds, second only to Inter Milan.

With a comfortable 10-point lead over fourth place, Milan looks set for a Champions League return and will also kick off their Europa League campaign against Rennes soon. Before that, they face Napoli, a team they drew 2-2 with earlier in the season, where Olivier Giroud scored twice against his favored opponents.

Napoli experienced setbacks in the previous Champions League quarter-finals and suffered a significant defeat against Milan amidst their otherwise successful 2022-23 season, where they claimed the Italian championship from the Rossoneri.

However, their defense of the title hasn't unfolded as anticipated, with former coach Walter Mazzarri returning to the helm after Rudi Garcia's unpopular tenure yielded little improvement.

Following a lackluster draw against Lazio where Napoli failed to register a single shot on target, there were concerns of a slide down the standings before their recent home fixture against Verona. Despite dominating possession against a struggling Verona side, Napoli narrowly secured a 2-1 victory with a spectacular goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, though still falling short of the top four by four points.

Struggles at home have mirrored difficulties on the road, with Napoli enduring a goal drought in four consecutive away games since November, matching their worst away run since 1979.

Before facing Barcelona in the Champions League's round of 16, Napoli must first tackle San Siro, where they have a positive record against Milan with a three-game winning streak.

Despite Malick Thiaw's return to full training following a two-month hamstring injury layoff, AC Milan's defensive lineup remains depleted with Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori still sidelined.

Thiaw, though back in training, is not yet match-fit. This means Matteo Gabbia and Simon Kjaer are likely to continue in central defense for Milan's upcoming game, with Stefano Pioli needing to make a change in midfield due to Tijjani Reijnders' suspension, with Ismael Bennacer stepping in.

While Luka Jovic is in good form, Olivier Giroud is set to lead the attack for Milan, hoping to add to his impressive goal tally against Napoli and reach 20 goal involvements for the first time since 2015-16.

While Milan's lineup seems settled, Napoli's formation remains uncertain, with coach Walter Mazzarri considering both a 4-3-3 and a three-man defense with wing-backs in recent matches.

Napoli could see the return of Alex Meret and Mathias Olivera from injury, and Piotr Zielinski is back from a muscle strain, although Mario Rui is suspended, potentially giving Pasquale Mazzocchi a chance on the left flank.

With Victor Osimhen on international duty, Giovanni Simeone is expected to lead Napoli's attack, supported by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano, the latter having a strong record against Milan, especially at San Siro.