NAPOLI v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

Once again, Napoli v AC Milan, for the first time this season but the third time in 2023. The match has given us great joy in previous years, and this evening could bring the Rossoneri back up after the two defeats to Juventus and PSG. At the Maradona, at 20:45 CET, AC Milan face the Italian champions, fully motivated and with the desire to win in front of almost 2,500 Rossoneri fans who will travel all the way to Naples to support the squad.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The Rossoneri head into the match with the good news of Okafor's recovery, he will be available again after missing the trip to Paris. Like Noah, Luka Jović is with the squad and will be available to play. After the last league match, Hernández and Maignan are also back after their suspensions. Those absent, however, are Thiaw (suspended) and Bennacer, Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek and Sportiello who are all injured. Pioli will have a few dilemmas in choosing his starting lineup. If Kalulu seemed the favourite to play alongside Tomori, there's also the Musah-Krunić-Reijnders trio, who seem like favourites to start in the midfield.

Stefano Pioli spoke in a press conference on the eve of the game: "The squad wants to overcome a negative experience, we have the opportunity in Naples to put in a good performance and show that we have improved. We won't change our style of play, there are some things to be perfected, but the team's mentality must stay the same".

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LATEST FROM NAPOLI
Napoli have won both their matches since the October international break, against Hellas Verona in the league and against Union Berlin in the Champions League. Garcia will have Anguissa back in the side, most likely on the bench, after being out with a muscle injury. The only absentee is a rather important one, Victor Osimhen who was injured during the international break on duty with Nigeria, like his Rossoneri countryman Chukwueze. The French coach is expected to start 10 of the 11 players from the winning side in Berlin, with one probable change in the midfield, as Elmas is the favourite to replace Cajuste alongside Lobotka and Zieliński.

Rudi Garcia also spoke ahead of the game at the Maradona: "We will face a direct rival, we have a huge desire to win at home and start a good run. My players are motivated and ready to do their best. We wanted to start better, but now we are on the right path and able to play to our strengths".

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• In the last 6 games between Napoli and AC Milan in Serie A, the away team has won (3 times the Rossoneri and 3 times the Neapolitan).
• AC Milan remains unbeaten in the last 5 away fixtures against Napoli in all competitions (3W, 2D). The Rossoneri have only ever once recorded a six-game streak of away wins against the Campania side: between 1978 and 1985.
• Despite the defeat against Juventus in the last game, AC Milan has won 7 of their first 9 games this season and could reach at least 8 wins in the first 10 games in Serie A for the third time in the last four seasons, just as many as in the previous 63.
• Rafael Leão has been involved in 7 goals in his last 8 games against opposition in the top 5 of the table coming into the game (5 goals and 2 assists). This included a brace scored in Naples on 2 April.
• Theo Hernández has been involved in 3 goals in Serie A against Napoli (1 goal and 2 assists), he has only done better (4 involvements) against Torino, Parma and Venezia.

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WHERE TO WATCH NAPOLI v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN at 20:45 CET. To watch Napoli v AC Milan in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 19:45 CET and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. From 20:40 CET, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also, not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
The referee at the Maradona will be an experienced one, Daniele Orsato. Sunday will mark the Veneto referee's 278th game, less only than Concetto Lo Bello in Serie A history. It will be his 35th time in charge of the Rossoneri and the first this season (tally 13W, 13L, 8N). The last meeting was on 29 April 2023, Roma 1-1 AC Milan.

Matchday 10 of Serie A started on Friday evening with Genoa 1-0 Salernitana, then Saturday saw Sassuolo 1-1 Bologna, Lecce 0-1 Torino and Juventus 1-0 Hellas Verona. Sunday's schedule sees Cagliari 4-3 Frosinone kicking off at 12:30 CET, Monza v Udinese at 15:00 CET, Inter v Roma at 18:00 and Napoli v AC Milan at 20:45 to close out the day.

This is the current table: Juventus* 23; Inter 22; Milan 21; Napoli and Fiorentina 17; Atalanta 16; Bologna* 15; Roma 14; Lazio and Lecce* 13; Monza, Frosinone* and Torino *12; Genoa* and Sassuolo* 11; Hellas Verona* 8; Empoli 7; Udinese 6; Cagliari* 5; Salernitana 3*. (* = with a game in hand)

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