AC Milan host Napoli at San Siro on Wednesday for a classic clash of Italian soccer in the first leg of their UEFA Champions Leagues quarterfinal matchup on Paramount+. This is the fourth all-Italian Champions League tie – Milan having featured in all the first three – and the 15th quarter final between clubs from the same country, the most recent being Tottenham’s thrilling away-goals victory against Manchester City in 2018-19. The winners of this tie will face Benfica or Inter in the semifinals.
The big news heading into the match is that striker Victor Osimhen, who was absent for Napoli when these two teams last met in a 4-0 Milan win in Napoli on April 2, remains out and did not make the squad for the match. Here’s the rest of what you need to know.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Apr. 12 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: San Siro — Milan
- TV and live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: AC Milan +185; Draw: +215; Napoli +155 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | AC Milan vs. Napoli
How they got here
This season, AC Milan picked up ten points in Group E to finish third behind Chelsea, who beat them 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and 2-0 at San Siro, clinching second place thanks to 4-0 victories in each of their last two games, at Dinamo Zagreb and at home to Salzburg. They then edged past Tottenham in the round of 16, Brahim Díaz‘s seventh-minute strike in the first leg at San Siro proving to be the only goal of the tie.
Napoli, on the other hand, kicked off with an impressive 4-1 win at home to the 2021-22 runners-up Liverpool, before two wins against both Rangers (3-0 a, 3-0 h) and Ajax (6-1 a, 4-2 h). A 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Matchday 6 ended Napoli’s 11-game unbeaten run in UEFA Champions League group games (W8 D3) but was not enough to prevent them finishing top of Group A after they had ended level with Liverpool on 15 points. Eintrach Frankfurt were then defeated in Germany (2-0) and Italy (3-0) in the round of 16, with Victor Osimhen scoring three goals across the tie.
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What to know
- This is only Napoli’s second European tie against Italian opponents. The first came in the quarterfinals of their victorious UEFA Cup campaign in 1988-89, when they went down 2-0 at Juventus in the first leg but turned the tie round in Naples thanks to goals from Diego Maradona, Andrea Carnevale and, in the 119th minute, Alessandro Renica.
- The last six Serie A games between the clubs have ended in an away win. With the three preceding fixtures ending in a draw, there has not been a home league victory since Napoli’s 3-2 success on the opening day of the Serie A season on 25 August 2018.
- Milan have featured in all three of the previous all-Italian contests, beating neighbours Inter on away goals in the 2002-03 semifinals (0-0 h, 1-1 a) and Juventus in the final (0-0 aet, 3-2 pens). They also overcame Inter 5-0 on aggregate in the 2004-05 quarter-finals (2-0 h, 3-0 a forfeit).
- Milan have won four of their previous nine games against Italian clubs in UEFA competition, losing only one. That sole defeat came against Parma in the second leg of the 1994 UEFA Super Cup (1-0 a, 0-2 h).
Prediction
Compared to the last Serie A meeting (AC Milan won 4-0 away), this should be a different game with both teams much more careful to not concede goals in the first leg. Pick: AC Milan 1, Napoli 1.