AC Milan vs Napoli Preview: Team News & Prediction
by Alex Lawes ·
Updated
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This is a really intriguing contest at San Siro as Massimiliano Allegri’s AC Milan look to continue a minor resurgence with the visit of defending champions Napoli to San Siro.
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AC Milan preview: Allegri’s Milan
After a difficult start to the season with a 2-1 loss at home to Cremonese on the opening day of the campaign, AC Milan have been much-improved in the last month or so of the season, with Massimiliano Allegri’s Rossoneri a resurgent force.
They come into this one on the back of 3-0 hammering of Lecce in the second round of the Coppa Italia in midweek. That backed up three successive victories in Serie A since that aforementioned loss to Cremonese in mid-August.
Napoli preview: Conte’s Neapolitans
They now face a Napoli side that, coached by Antonio Conte, are seeking to defend their fourth ever Italian title and the Neapolitans have started the campaign extremely well as the only team still with a 100% record after four Serie A matches.
The Partenopei come into this one on the back of an entertaining 3-2 defeat of Pisa at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last weekend, courtesy of goals from Scotland international Billy Gilmour as well as from Leonardo Spinazzola and Lorenzo Lucca.
AC Milan team news: Couple of key doubts
AC Milan are dealing with a couple of key doubts at either end of the pitch with goalkeeper Mike Maignan and Portugal international Rafael Leao both dealing with calf injuries.
Predicted XI (3-5-2): Terracciano; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci, Rabiot, Bartesgahi; Santiago Gimenez, Pulisic
Unavailable: Jashari (Injured)
Questionable: Maignan (Injured), Leao (Injured)
Napoli team news: Meret is fit
Previously first-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret has returned to full fitness and Antonio Conte, despite the impressive performances of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, is back in the starting eleven.
Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Juan, Spinazzola; Gilmour; Politano, Elmas, McTominay, De Bruyne; Hojlund
Unavailable: Contini (Injured), Lukaku (Injured)
Questionable: Buongiorno (Injured), Mazzocchi (Injured)
AC Milan vs Napoli prediction
AC Milan have a very solid style of football now being implemented by Massimiliano Allegri, and that should allow their abundance of attacking options to have a bit more freedom when they do get the ball. They now play a Napoli side that are a very difficult team to play and score against, with their own strong squad. This is a clash between a side looking to make themselves a serious force up against a serious force looking to ensure they remain in their box and that should, especially in an Allegri-Conte clash, lead to a game with few chances and goals.
AC Milan vs Napoli tip: Under 2.5 goals
