Milan-Naples, for the Champions League: advances, calendar, how to watch and probable formations

Milan AND Naples will be measured for the first time in Champions Leagueto guide the passage to the semi-finals in what will be a duel between the historic past of a seven-time champion of the top continental competition and the promising Neapolitan future, who debut this round with the certainty of being one of the biggest revelations.

The match will kick off at 4pm in Argentina and be televised by Fox Sports.

Being a clash between two Italian teams, the battle is even. They know each other from the national championship and the surprise that Napoli could reserve is overshadowed by a Milan that enters the contention with the stimulus of the last meeting between the two. a 4-0 in favor of the Red-black who destabilized the foundations of the Neapolitans by relaunching the trust of Milan.

But despite the painful defeat suffered by Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli remains the absolute leader of a Serie A who has governed from the beginning and who is only waiting for the mathematics to travel to the southern city, in what will be the third ‘scudetto’ for the ‘azzurri’.

However, in addition to the possible dizziness that the debut in the quarterfinals can give, Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli arrive a little diminished in the duel. And it is that the doubts focus on the offensive, with the Nigerian Victor Osimhen and the Italian Giacomo Raspadori among the cottons; and with The Argentinean Giovanni Simeone was definitively excluded due to an injury to his right hamstring.

The rest of the players are available, although it should be noted that the South Korean Kim Min-Jae, leader of the center of the rearguard, is vigilant and in the event of a yellow card he would not play the decisive round at Maradona.

The attacker’s condition could vary from the usual scheme of the Italian coach, placing the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as a reference, which certainly leaves him without the sharp fang provided by the Nigerian attacker, capable of unlocking the tightest matches.

Something he would surely need against a Milan whose main asset will be party building through defensive strengththe one that took him to the top of Italy last season and that in this one he has only pulled off in the Champions League, in important matches like that of the round of 16 against Tottenham.

The victory against Napoli was followed by a goalless draw against lowly Empoli which once again revealed a poor version of the team led by Italian Stefano Pioli.

But the return to the Champions League eleven years after the last time and hearing the anthem played by Giuseppe Meazza enthusiastic about feeling great again will be enough stimulus for a Milan that will return to the back four, with the Frenchman Theo Hernández as a full back, who will accompany the Portuguese Rafael Leao in attack, the most dangerous in the AC Milan offensive.

In the center of the field will be the Italian Sandro Tonali and the Algerian Ismael Bennacer to stop the trident of Napoli, formed by the Slovakian Stanislav Lobotka, the Pole Piotr Zielinski and the Cameroonian Zambo Anguissa.

Upstairs, accompanying Leao, the Spaniard Brahim Díaz will be safe, placed in the starting eleven and taking on streaks to pull the car in difficult moments, and the French Olivier Giroud as a pure nine. The Swede Ibrahimovic was not on the list for the Champions League, so he won’t be able to have minutes.

The Champions League, after several years away, will once again shine the spotlight on Italy with a semi-final up for grabs between a Milan and a Napoli who have followed almost antagonistic paths during the season, but who are measured in an equal battle in which everything is open.

probable lineups

Milan:Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Kjaer, Theo; Bennacer, Tonali; Leao, Krunic, Brahim; Giroud.

Naples: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim Min-Jae, Mario Rui; Lobotka, Zielinski, Anguissa; Lozano, Kvaratskhelia and Politano or Elmas.

Referee: Istvan Kovacs (RUM)

stadium: Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro)

Now: 16 (Argentinian)

TV: Fox Sports