AC Milan will host Borussia Dortmund with both teams looking to secure a spot in the knockouts of the Champions League. After defeating Newcastle United twice in a row, Dortmund leads Group F with seven points, while Milan, in third place, is only two points behind after defeating Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
Preview (AC Milan vs. Borussia Dortmund)
Two matchdays will determine who will qualify for the Champions League’s round of 16. Going into the penultimate round of Group F matches, four clubs are separated by just three points. Following their comeback triumph over Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, where goals from Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao secured maximum points, Milan is aware that another victory at San Siro would put them just a win away from qualifying for the knockout round in back-to-back campaigns. Even though they will face a strong Dortmund team who were semi-finalists in the previous season. A back-to-back win over the German powerhouse would ensure a top-two finish. A win over Newcastle would do the same.
The Rossoneri faced an unpredictable Fiorentina team on Saturday night after the international break. They had only managed two points from their previous four domestic games. Due to forward injuries, 15-year-old Francesco Camarda started the game as the youngest player in Serie A history. Just before halftime, Milan defeated the Viola 1-0 thanks to a Theo Hernandez penalty kick. Stefano Pioli’s team was unable to score in open play due to the absence of Giroud and Leao. They have only scored twice in four Champions League games this season. Questions about their relative lack of attacking ability still exist.
To secure maximum points against the Magpies, Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt scored in each half. This is the first time in Dortmund’s history that they have gone four straight home Champions League games without giving up a goal. Die Schwarzgelben, are 10 points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen in points. They will go to Italy’s second city in search of their first three-game winning streak in the competition since 2020. They have been inconsistent at home.
Team News
Olivier Giroud was sent off in his 100th Milan game against Lecce earlier this month. He can now start for the Rossoneri against Fiorentina after serving a Serie A suspension. Stefano Pioli will be happy to have this boost as he is still missing two forwards because of injuries:22. Those are Rafael Leao (thigh) and Noah Okafor (hamstring). On Saturday, Samu Chukwueze replaced Christian Pulisic. Chukwueze might be kept in the starting lineup, as Leao—who leads Milan in opportunities generated during open play (eight) and dribbles completed (15)—misses another game.
Rueben Loftus-Cheek, who had a standout performance against PSG, returned to Serie A as a substitute over the weekend, and given that Yunus Musah is serving a suspension, he could start on Tuesday. Veteran defender Mats Hummels, who is one of just three players in the double digits for interceptions and tackles in this season’s Champions League alongside Milan’s Fikayo Tomori, will lead Borussia Dortmund’s back four at San Siro.
Felix Nmecha, who was recently sidelined by a hip ailment, will not be available for the visitors; nevertheless, Gregor Kobel and Emre Can both overcome fitness worries to play Gladbach. Niclas Fullkrug, who leads the lineup front for Dortmund, has scored in his last three games for BVB. Donyell Malen is expected to start in support of Fullkrug, pushing past Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Illness has taken a toll on Sebastian Haller and Karim Adeyemi, two other forwards.
AC Milan 1 – 1 Borussia Dortmund
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