Milan vs Tottenham
Venue: Stadio San Siro, Milan
AC Milan and Tottenham are back in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) despite winning just three group stage matches each. Both teams have had their share of troubles at domestic level, notably reigning Serie A champions and seven-times European champions Milan, who, despite reaching the UCL group stage for the first time in nine seasons, are now under constant concern over a potential absence from Europe in 2023-24.
Although Milan ended a seven-match winless run (D2, L5) in all competitions with a 1-0 Serie A victory over Torino last Friday that lifted them into fifth place, some reporters speculated about a short-lived spell. manager Stefano Pioli’s future if his side fail to reach the UCL quarter-finals and/or advance to the next due to a top-four finish. In fact, some Italian publications have even reported that Spurs manager Antonio Conte was on the shortlist of two to be approached by the Milan owner at the end of the season.
Conte is insisting on traveling with his Tottenham to his native country, where his family continue to live, despite being warned by assistant Cristian Stellini that he “must be careful” as he recovers from surgery following the tense 4-1 defeat. A Premier League loss to Leicester at the weekend kept Spurs out of the PL’s top four. The former UCL winner (who played in 1995/96) previously changed his opinion on Tottenham’s season following their recent 1-0 PL win over Manchester City, weeks after describing the foursomes’ result.
2018-2019 UCL runners-up Tottenham head into this round with seven points from their last three group stage matches, having won and lost all three of their matches, winning 2-1 in Marseille during that period. encouraging. As for the first leg, Spurs have won just three of their previous 13 UCL trips (D5, L5). Ironically, the last time they met Milan in this competition (2010/2011), they reached the last 16, their first win at the San Siro (1-0) before a goalless draw at White Hart Lane.
Team News:
Nampalys Mendy, James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho and Harvey Barnes scored to condemn Spurs to a heavy 4-1 defeat, making their 1-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City feel like a distant memory.
First-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan has been sidelined since September with a calf injury and Milan will be hoping the Frenchman returns for the return leg, missing Tuesday’s game, with Cipriani Tatarusanu continuing as a substitute. in his absence. .
After a period on the sidelines, Ismael Bennacer and Fikayo Tomori were able to return in time and appear in the starting line-up.
The unmistakable figure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to the Milan bench this Friday for the first time since 2022. in May, but after a long spell on the sidelines, he had to settle for being an unused substitute and is unlikely to get one. minutes against Tottenham.
Like their hosts, Tottenham are also without their first-choice goalkeeper, with Hugo Lloris ruled out with a knee injury and replacement Fraser Forster will be looking for better protection than he got from the defense at the weekend. .
Cristian Romero was suspended for the Premier League game against Leicester and will replace Japheth Tanganga on Tuesday, joining Eric Dier and Ben Davies in the back three.
With Bentancur suffering an ACL injury on Saturday and Yves Bissouma injured and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg suspended, Tottenham could be forced to field an untested back-to-back pairing of Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp.
Latest Form:
Milan to the winter break, introduced in 2022. FIFA World Cup in Qatar, started in a strong position; in second place and just eight points behind the leader Napoli. But the disastrous 2023 a run that took them to this UCL tie with doubts about their quality.
Of the nine official matches that Milan played in 2023, they won only two and lost five times. But they will be boosted by a win against Torino in Serie A on Friday night, which was scored by Olivier Giroud. The win kept Stefano Pioli’s side out of the Champions League for the first time since 1929-30. losing five in a row in one season after four previous defeats at Internazionale (Super Cup and Serie A), Lazio and Sassuolo.
Tottenham suffered their heaviest defeat against the Foxes in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon when they were beaten 4-1 by Leicester City.
The rout followed a three-match winning streak and clean sheets in all competitions, including a 1-0 home win over English Premier League holders Manchester City at the start of February, as well as FA Cup and league wins over Preston North End. won against London rivals Fulham.
2022-2023 In the UCL group stage, Tottenham topped Group D ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting CP and Marseille with a record 11 points from a possible 18 (W3 D2 L1). Meanwhile, Milan finished behind Chelsea in Group E but finished as runners-up ahead of Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
AC Milan Champions League form:
D W L L W W
AC Milan form (all competitions):
D L L L L W
Tottenham Hotspur Champions League form:
W L D W D W
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
L L W W W L
AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur H2H and Key Facts
- Tottenham Hotspur have an excellent record against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League and are unbeaten in their four matches against the Rossoneri, winning two of these games.
- The previous meeting between the two teams in the UEFA Champions League took place in 2011, with Tottenham Hotspur winning by an aggregate 1-0 scoreline over two legs after Peter Crouch scored the only goal of the tie.
- Tottenham Hotspur have won their only game against AC Milan at the San Siro but have lost two games against Inter Milan at the same venue.
- Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has won eight of his last nine matches against AC Milan and has overseen his teams keeping clean sheets against the Rossoneri in their last three matches.
- AC Milan will play a knock-out match in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
Predicted Lineups:
AC Milan (3-4-2-1):
Mirante; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Tonali, Bennacer, Krunić, Theo Hernández; Rafael Leão, Giroud
Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-2-1):
Forster; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Skipp, Sarr, Perišić; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Prediction: AC Milan 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur