PSG v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW
Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain v AC Milan, the Champions League, Paris, Mbappé and Leão, the Hernández brothers, Maignan and Adli up against their old club, Donnarumma also up against his former side. There's no shortage of topics to talk about ahead of the clash at the Parc des Princes, where the Rossoneri will play their third fixture in Group F. With the highly anticipated 21:00 CEST kick-off drawing ever nearer, here’s our Match Preview to get you fully up to speed.
LATEST FROM MILANELLO
In order to put the home defeat to Juventus behind them, the Rossoneri need to react with pride and show real focus and application on a collective level. In general, the team have been doing well in Serie A and are in a good position in the table: second, just one point off the top. In the Champions League, meanwhile, two goalless draws have reduced the margin of error for Coach Pioli’s side, who need to pick up precious points. There's some good news: Maignan and Hernández, who missed the Juve match through suspension, are available again and ready to return to the pitch. On the other hand, Loftus-Cheek, Okafor, Chukwueze and Sportiello won't be at the Coach’s disposal. It remains to be seen who will selected at right-back (Calabria could be rested), while Krunić is favourite to start in the deep-lying playmaker role in midfield. The Bosnian is likely to be joined by Musah (instead of Pobega) in the middle of the park, where Reijnders is also ready to play. Thiaw and Tomori will form the centre-back pairing, while the team's attack will consist of Leão, Giroud and Pulisic.
"It’s a very important match," said Coach Pioli in his pre-match press conference today. "Our two games against PSG will be highly significant. We’ll need to be highly focused, play in a compact manner and move as a unit. We need to increase the number of goals we score relative to the amount of opportunities we create and finish off our chances."
LATEST FROM PSG
Paris Saint-Germain's squad has undergone an overhaul in recent times. From Messi and Neymar through to Verratti and Sergio Ramos, there have been plenty of significant departures, but considerable sums have been spent bringing players in, too. There’s also been a change in the dugout, with Luis Enrique now in charge. In Europe, the French champions fell to a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle last time out. Domestically, they're in the fight for top spot but currently sit third, two points behind league leaders Monaco. At the weekend, they recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory over Strasbourg thanks to goals from Mbappé (a penalty), Soler and Ruiz. They’re likely to line up as follows (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Škriniar, L. Hernández; Vitinha, Ugarte, Zaïre-Emery; Dembelé, Gonçalo Ramos, Mbappé. Asensio, Kimpembe, Navas and Nuno Mendes are all out.
"AC Milan are a fantastic side," said Luis Enrique. "They have an excellent coach and play good football. For us, the next two matches are very important, but we're currently focusing on the next one at our stadium in front of our fans. We'll need to play better than them to win, do more of the attacking and also defend well. I'm confident. It’s the group of death; any of the teams could progress."
PRE-MATCH STATS
WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN ON TV
In Italy, PSG v AC Milan will be shown on Amazon Prime Video at 21:00 CEST. Starting at 19:30 CEST, until kick-off, there will be all the build-up on Milan TV's Matchday. After the game, we will have interviews and Stefano Pioli's post-match conference.
LATEST FROM THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Newcastle v Borussia Dortmund will also take place at 21:00 CEST tomorrow. This is how Group F looks after two matchdays: Newcastle 4 points, PSG 3, AC Milan 2, Borussia Dortmund 1.
REFEREE
Slovenian official Slavko Vinčić will referee the match at the Parc des Princes. The 43-year-old is thus set to take charge of his second Champions League fixture of the campaign after Lazio 1-1 Atlético Madrid. It'll be the first time he’s been the man in the middle for a game involving PSG. On the other hand, he’s encountered the Rossoneri twice before: Manchester United v AC Milan in the Europa League and Atlético Madrid v AC Milan in the Champions League. Klančnik and Kovačič will be the linesmen, while Jug will perform the role of fourth official. Kajtazovic, assisted by Bebek, will oversee VAR.
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