AC Milan will look to win their first game of the Champions League when they host Paris Saint-Germain. Two weeks ago, Les Parisiens crushed the Rossoneri 3-0 to seize control of the tightly-knit group. It put their hosts in danger of being eliminated from European football before their time.
Preview (AC Milan vs. Paris Saint-Germain)
Not the only team to fall victim to a Warren Zaire-Emery masterpiece this season, AC Milan was outclassed by the highly-regarded 17-year-old during their match against PSG two weeks prior. The evening’s results saw assists from the gifted adolescent for both Kylian Mbappe and Lee Kang-in. In a sweeping 3-0 thumping of Stefano Pioli’s team, Randal Kolo Muani also broke through the Milan defense. As winter approaches, the team’s domestic fortunes have also declined, as they have lost their previous three Serie A matches. Milan’s loss to Juventus due to a deflected goal by Manuel Locatelli could be overlooked. Nevertheless, Pioli’s team subsequently let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 with the underachieving champions, Napoli.
Pioli’s once-resilient team has conceded seven goals in their last four games after giving up just one goal in six games from September 19 to October 7—including goalless draws in Group F against Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United. A loss would severely jeopardize their hopes of finishing in the top two if either team wins at Signal Iduna Park. As it stands, though, the two-point Rossoneri are within striking distance of both the German powerhouses and the Magpies. The seven-time champions have now gone five games without a goal in the Champions League. They could potentially lose three straight home games against top-tier European teams.
PSG, who also have a two-goal victory over Dortmund, can officially eliminate Milan from top-spot contention by repeating their previous victory over the discolored Italian troops. The form book also strongly favors the visitors. PSG wants to make up for their 4-1 humiliation at the hands of Newcastle United. Prior to that, he had set up two goals against the Rossoneri and rocketed home a goal against Brest.
In the process, they have temporarily taken over Nice’s top spot in the Ligue 1 table. Furthermore, they haven’t maintained a European clean sheet on the road since defeating Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0 in October 2020.
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A lengthy injury list has accompanied Milan’s decline in performance. Pioli is optimistic that Hernandez will recover from his injury in time for Tuesday’s game. In addition, Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze may be able to return after taking precautionary breaks over the weekend.
This will prevent the adaptable Portuguese player from playing until the end of November’s international break. Not only will Nuno Mendes (hamstring), Sergio Rico (head trauma), and Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles) not be returning anytime soon, but Marco Asensio (foot injury) and Keylor Navas (back issue) should also prevent both players from playing for the foreseeable future. Prior to a possible reunion with his brother wearing Rossoneri, Lucas Hernandez should be returning in an otherwise unchanged starting lineup. Nordi Mukiele was an unexpected addition at left-back the last time out.
Tuesday night’s Champions League matchup between Milan and a goal-obsessed Paris Saint-Germain crop looks set to write another unhappy chapter in Milan’s history. Milan may be able to contain PSG for a while with a few changes from their depressing loss. The Ligue 1 leaders should consistently find a way through in order to maintain their lead.
AC Milan 0 – 2 Paris Saint-Germain
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