AC MILAN v NAPOLI: KEYS TO THE MATCH

A 180-minute showdown where the details will be key, just like in any two-legged Champions League tie. AC Milan and Napoli know each other well, respect each other and are among the best that Italian football currently has to offer. The reigning Italian champions are set to come up against the team that are well on their way to winning the Scudetto this campaign. At stake in this match-up is a place in the semi-finals, which the Diavolo haven’t reached since 2007 and Napoli have never achieved. The first leg will be played at a packed San Siro, and this is what could be key.

THE 4-0 WIN AT THE MARADONA
It’s the ‘elephant in the room’. On the eve of such a historic Champions League meeting - it’ll be AC Milan’s fourth all-Italian clash in Europe’s elite competition but Napoli’s first - there’s still a very fresh memory: the Rossoneri’s commanding league victory thanks to goals from Leão (x2), Díaz and Saelemaekers. Pioli’s men returned to a back four in that game, while Bennacer and Brahim Díaz occupied different positions than usual. While the Rossoneri have made several tactical changes in 2023, the Partenopei have enjoyed success thanks to a settled playing system that the team are able to maintain when Spalletti sends on substitutes, who have often been decisive this season. Only 90 minutes have passed for both sides since 2 April. It remains to be seen whether there will be any lasting effects from that night, and it’ll be interesting to see how (and if) it’ll influence the choices that the two coaches make.

DEFENSIVE SOLIDITY
The upcoming tie will pit a team who have kept four consecutive Champions League clean sheets against the side with the best defensive record in Serie A and one of the best in Europe (only four teams have conceded fewer goals than Spalletti's men). The abolition of the away goals rule has somewhat mitigated the negative impact of conceding on home soil, but it’s not unthinkable that a tight, tactical, chess-like match could play out. AC Milan and Napoli have shown vulnerabilities in defence and have the attacking characteristics to inflict damage on each other. For the Rossoneri, a good outcome won’t just depend on how the backline perform; the midfield will also have to be effective in nullifying Napoli’s build-up play. AC Milan will also have to deal well with set pieces, which is exactly what they did against Tottenham and the Partenopei recently. In these fixtures, the Rossoneri produced perhaps their three best performances of the year defensively, with the team not having always reached such a high standard in 2023.

WIDE PLAYERS
AC Milan and Napoli are used to striking with quick, direct counter-attacks. Key to the success of such moves are the players who operate down the two flanks, with a greater attacking impulse on the left being counterbalanced on the right. Hernández and Leão for the Rossoneri, Kvaratskhelia and either Olivera or Mário Rui for the Partenopei: so many of the two teams’ attacks start from the left. As for the other side of the pitch, captains Calabria and Di Lorenzo provide defensive solidity, while players who can display both flair and a spirit of sacrifice - Saelemaekers and Messias for the Diavolo, Lozano and Politano for the Azzurri - can be found further up the field. A good balance has been and will continue to be a big factor in determining the fortunes of the sides. In the previous two league matches, the team that did better on the flanks from both an attacking and defensive perspective won. Will this also be the case in the Champions League?

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