AC MILAN v TOTTENHAM: KEYS TO THE MATCH

The first knock-out round of the Champions League is upon us as AC Milan welcome Tottenham to San Siro for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie. We got back to winning way against Torino and can go into this - admittedly very tough - game against Spurs with renewed confidence. On the eve of the game, let's take a look at some of the potential deciding factors for the match.

ABSENCES AND RETURNEES
AC Milan and Tottenham are both going into the game with some big absences from the first few weeks of 2023. There’s good news in the Rossoneri camp, however, as Fikayo Tomori is available again after training with the group over the past few days. Tottenham have a few players out: Højbjerg is suspended, while Bentancur was added to the injury list, which already included Lloris, Bissouma and Sessegnon, after he got hurt in Spurs' most recent Premier League match. Getting Tomori back, especially in the context of Tottenham’s selection issues in midfield, could give the Rossoneri more confidence going forward as they can push their physical players further up the pitch.

ATTACK v DEFENCE
While Conte has limited choices in midfield, he has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal. Harry Kane, who recently became Spurs' all-time leading goalscorer with 267, is the main dangerman, while he has Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski on either side of him providing pace and power. Containing Tottenham's main front three is vital. However, the Londoners still have plenty of good players to come off the bench, such as the Brazilian duo, Richarlison and Lucas Moura, and new arrival Danjuma. Following that clean sheet against Torino, the Rossoneri's defensive line will need to put in a colossal performance throughout the full 90 minutes. Stefano Pioli is likely to stick with the back three, which is beginning to gel and looks like the most solid system right now, especially against an attack like Tottenham's.

BACK-UP KEEPERS
With both sides' number 1 goalies out through injury, the scene at San Siro is set for Ciprian Tătăruşanu and Fraser Forster to take centre stage. The Romanian has featured in every game for the Rossoneri since September and has made some high-class saves in his last two outings, against Torino and Inter. Tata certainly isn't lacking match fitness, as he will make his fifth Champions League appearance this season. This will, however, be a debut in European football for Forster. The former Southampton shot-stopper has played five times for the Lilywhites this season, his third in this calendar year between the Premier League and FA Cup. The performance of the two men between the sticks will certainly be an important aspect of tomorrow night's huge clash, in which individual errors need to be kept to an absolute minimum.

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