AC MILAN v SLAVIA PRAHA: MATCH PREVIEW

European anthem at San Siro, the Europa League returns: at 21:00 CET, AC Milan v Slavia Prague will play, in the first leg of the Round of 16. The Rossoneri face a challenging and formidable opponent, the aim of the Rossoneri - coming off a significant away win against Lazio - is to steer qualification onto their tracks. Here's our match preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Almost a full squad for Mister Pioli, with only the injured Tommaso Pobega unavailable, following the recent returns of Thiaw, Kalulu, Tomori, and Calabria. After last Friday's hard-fought but exhilarating victory at the Olimpico, the group has had almost a week to recover and focus all energies on Slavia Prague. With an awareness of the challenge that awaits, Mister Pioli is expected to field the so-called "typical lineup". Compared to the XI seen from the start against Lazio, there should be few changes, and these final hours will resolve the doubts of our coach: the main battles concern Kjær-Thiaw in defense and Bennacer-Reijnders in midfield. Florenzi and Leão, who will miss the Empoli match due to suspension, are expected to start. Luka Jović is also back, available after serving his two-match suspension in the league.

Here's what the Mister said on the eve of the match: "We must believe we can win the trophy, taking one step at a time, with awareness and enthusiasm. We must exploit the home advantage; it's a crucial period of the season because it's not easy for anyone to be competitive in Europe and in the league."

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LATEST FROM SLAVIA PRAHA
Jindřich Trpišovský's Czech team won Group G ahead of Roma, with 15 points out of 18 available, scoring 17 goals and conceding 4. In the last week, they faced their city rivals Sparta twice, in the cup and in the league, losing the first match in extra time and drawing 0-0 in the second. They line up in a 3-4-3 formation, featuring the former Torino player Zima in defense and strikers Chytil (15 goals this season) and Jurečka (13) in attack. A European-style opponent, accustomed to these types of matches, capable of reaching the Europa League Quarterfinals in 2020/21 and 2018/19, and the Conference League Quarterfinals in 2021/22. In the last league match, Trpišovský welcomed back goalkeeper Jindřich Staněk, signed in January from Viktoria Plzeň: in the absence of the injured Ondřej Kolář, it is expected to be Staněk who wins the battle for the goal against Mandous.

The Slavia coach in the press conference: "For me, playing here is the peak of my career; facing AC Milan for us is a celebration, against such a team, with this tradition, with this stadium. We will need a great defensive performance; we must pay attention to everything."

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan have won 6 of their last 10 home games in European competitions (1 draw, 3 losses), keeping clean sheets in three of the four most recent home games played in the knockout stages of a continental competition.
• No team can boast more successful dribbles than AC Milan (96, on par with Bayern Munich, Feyenoord, and Real Betis) among UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League matches this season.
• Olivier Giroud is the only player in both squads to have already faced the opponent in major European competitions: in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in 2018/19, wearing Chelsea's jersey (he scored and assisted in the return leg, which Blues won 4-3 at Stamford Bridge).

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WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v SLAVIA PRAHA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast on DAZN, Sky, and TV8. To watch AC Milan v Slavia Praha in a different country, you can check the "Where to watch AC Milan on TV" section under "Abroad." On the Rossoneri channels, the appointment is with Milan TV's Matchday: the live coverage will start at 19:45 CET until just before kick-off, followed by interviews and Mister Pioli's press conference. From 20:50 CET, there will also be a Live Reaction on AC Milan's Twitch channel. Don't miss the coverage on acmilan.com, AC Milan Official App, and official social media.

LATEST FROM EUROPA LEAGUE
A busy schedule for the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16, with seven matches scheduled. Wednesday saw the round open with Sporting 1-1 Atalanta; today continues at 18:45 CET with Sparta Prague v Liverpool, Roma v Brighton, and Qarabağ v Leverkusen. At 21:00 CET, AC Milan v Slavia Prague, Marseille v Villarreal, Benfica v Rangers, and Freiburg v West Ham.

REFEREE
The match will be officiated by Halil Umut Meler, who has no previous experience with the Rossoneri and one with the Czechs: Feyenoord 3-3 Slavia Prague, in the first leg of the Conference League quarter-finals 2021/22. The officiating team will be: Mustafa Eyisoy (TUR) and Kerem Ersoy (TUR) as assistants, Arda Kardeşler (TUR) as the fourth official, with Alper Ulusoy (TUR) and Abdulkadir Bitigen (TUR) on VAR duty.

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