WOMEN, AC MILAN v NAPOLI: MATCH PREVIEW

Back in action. Following the international break, the Rossonere resume their league campaign and go in search of a fifth straight Women's Serie A win as they welcome Napoli, a team not to be underestimated. The Neapolitans are unbeaten in this second phase of the competition, and the four points earned by AC Milan in the first part of the season all came in injury-time. As we move closer to the game, scheduled to take place on Sunday 14 April at 15:00 CEST, let's have a look at the Match Preview.

LATEST FROM PUMA HOUSE OF FOOTBALL
Four consecutive victories, with at least four goals scored in the last two (eight overall): the start to this second phase could not have gone any better, and the objective is to continue on this wavelength. With the group back together following the international break, the players have been able to get some useful work done at the PUMA House of Football. The group is almost at full-strength - only Asllani and Grimshaw are unavailable - with many players in excellent form, in particular Dompig, Laurent and Vigilucci. Coach Corti has no suspended players, with only Bergamaschi and Piga to take into consideration, as they are just one booking away from a ban.

The Rossonere squad: Babb, Copetti, Giuliani; Bergamaschi, Fusetti, Guagni, Mesjasz, Piga, Swaby; Boldrini, Cernoia, Dubcová, Mascarello, Rubio Ávila, Soffia, Vigilucci; Dompig, Ijeh, Laurent, Marinelli, Nadim, Stašková.

"Seeing that the team is working hard and developing a certain type of style is very pleasing", said Coach Corti on the eve of the match. "We are playing in the relegation round, but the work rate and effort must still always be at the maximum, game after game. Napoli play on the break; in the regular season, they kept things very tight. We'll have to show the same attitude against Napoli as we did against Pomigliano and play some good football."

LATEST FROM NAPOLI
After a difficult start to the campaign (zero points from their opening nine games), the Neapolitans gave their chances of survival a boost between the second part of the season and this start to the relegation round, where they are unbeaten after a draw away to Como Women and victory at home to Sampdoria. Napoli come to the PUMA House of Football with the crucial derby against Pomigliano just around the corner, but also fresh after an additional rest period, following a bye weekend after the international break. In their last two outings, the side set up with two different tactical formations, alternating between 4-1-4-1 and 4-3-3. The defence is rarely in doubt (Pellinghelli-Di Marino-Pettenuzzo-Kobayashi in front of Beretta in goal), with Gallazzi the dictator in the middle of the park and del Estal up top, a player who can play the lone striker role as well as be supported by Banusic and Chmielinski. They have no suspensions for the game, with Pettenuzzo and Lázaro just one booking away from a ban. Meanwhile, Japanese midfielder Togawa joined the club this week.

PRE-MATCH STATS

• The Rossonere are unbeaten in their last six matches with Napoli in the Women's Serie A, with four wins and two draws (including one in the last match, on 16 December). In each of the aforementioned six games, AC Milan have always scored: only against Fiorentina and Hellas Verona do the Rossonere boast a longer streak of matches with at least one goal to their name.
• Corti's side have won four league wins on the trot: it is the longest sequence since the one between October 2020 and February 2021, where they earned ten straight wins. They have scored 13 goals in these games, just one less than in the previous 14. Instead, AC Milan (-2 from 350 goals in the women's Serie A) had never got four straight league wins with at least two goals scored in each game.
• Emelyne Laurent has grabbed both goals scored by the Rossonere against Napoli in this campaign. In both cases, they came after the 90th minute: the Frenchwoman is one of three players with the most goals scored in injury-time in this season's Women's Serie A. Napoli tend to bring good luck to the Rossonere's captain, Bergamaschi (two goal involvements since 2020/21, only against Samp and Verona has she a better record), and is one of the three best players in Europe's top-five leagues in terms of success rate in attempted tackles (84%).

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN ON TV
In Italy, AC Milan v Napoli will be broadcast live on DAZN at 15:00 CEST. Don't miss coverage on acmilan.com, the Rossonere's Instagram account and on the AC Milan Official App, where the full game will be available the following day.

LATEST FROM WOMEN'S SERIE A
AC Milan v Napoli will be refereed by Gabriele Totaro. His assistants will be Rignanese and Hader, with Massari as fourth official.

Matchday 4 in the Women's Serie A relegation round sees two other games take place on Sunday 14 April. Before AC Milan v Napoli at 15:00 CEST is Pomigliano v Como Women at 12:30 CEST at the Stadio Amerigo Liguori in Torre del Greco. Sampdoria have a bye round.

The table: AC Milan 27; Sampdoria* 24; Como Women* 22; Napoli 10; Pomigliano 6. (* = played one game more)

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