Competition: Italian Serie A 2016-17
Date: Saturday, 21th January, 19:45 GMT
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
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AC Milan vs SSC Napoli Preview
Saturday night hosts a showdown for Champions League places and two sides who promise entertainment.
The last time these two teams met at San Siro, Milan were humbled 4-0 by Napoli and Lorenzo Insigne’s magic red shoes.
Earlier on this season, a makeshift Rossoneri went to the San Paolo without the suspended Gabriel Paletta, and were hammered once more to the tune of four goals.
There’s enough dysfunction at Milanello to write a book, from the club’s stalled sale to questionable buyers to the more immediate (and spooky) absences of another centre-back (Alessio Romagnoli), along with the suspension of Manuel Locatelli, Mattia de Sciglio’s injury and the squad’s paper-thin depth.
Hot starter M’Baye Niang is now being criticized from all quarters for his presumed lack of effort, with fans impatient for replacement Gerard Deulofeu to be signed from Everton. Carlos Bacca could be dethroned by Gianluca Lapadula, who is fighting harder and scoring more than his Colombian colleague.
Then again, Coach Vincenzo Montella is like Michael Jordan in Space Jam, making this skeleton crew believe to the point that it’s hard to count it out. Milan outplayed Roma at the Olimpico, but fell to a Radja Nainggolan wondergoal. Missing their flight for Doha, they beat Juventus in the Super Cup anyway, before inching past Cagliari after Lapadula stuck a leg out to set Bacca up for the winner. Down two goals to Torino, they staged a comeback which drove former Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic to demolish the advertising board used for post-match interviews. It almost defies belief.
Can the Rossoneri do it all again here? Napoli come into this one without half their starting defence, as Kalidou Koulibaly and Faouzi Ghoulam are at the Africa Cup of Nations. Lorenzo Tonelli has kept his fantasy football owners (whoever they are) happy with two goals in as many starts.
The last time the Partenopei faced off against a strong opponent, they somehow let Fiorentina – who were struggling to do anything at home back then – wrest control of the game from 2-1 down, only to rescue a point with Manolo Gabbiadini.
One suspects that Sarri’s team can’t be counted on to keep a clean sheet, even in the most favourable of circumstances, conceding cheap goals to the likes of Pescara, Torino and Sampdoria. Speaking of the departing Gabbiadini, the lack of a striker doesn’t seem to be having an adverse impact, Dries Mertens turning into one of Europe’s strongest performers of the winter period.
Napoli should be clear favourites here, but the feeling is that both teams will harm themselves, despite their best efforts.
Player to Watch: Piotr Zielinski (Napoli) – The young Pole has taken over in midfield, scoring a wondergoal against Inter and ensuring that the engine room is running better, even Jorginho provisionally returning to form after a poor start to the campaign. Having barely put a foot wrong in two months, Zielinski faces off against the inconsistent Mario Pasalic and Andrea Bertolacci. This game could be a feast.
Form Guide: Milan (W L D W D), Napoli (W W D W W)
Last season: Milan 0-4 Napoli
Stat fact: Milan haven’t beaten Napoli since a 2-0 result here in December 2014, followed by three defeats and a 1-1 draw, home and away. The Rossoneri won just one of the last five times they hosted the Partenopei, losing two and drawing two.
Top Tip: Over 2.5 Goals. Milan may gameplan this one beautifully, but that back line conceded late against Inter, and the Rossoneri have generally flopped in second halves, too.
Milan (probable): Donnarumma, Abate, Paletta, Gomez, Calabria; Pasalic, Bertolacci, Kucka; Suso, Bacca, Bonventura
Suspended: Locatelli, Romagnoli
Napoli (probable): Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Chiriches, Strinic; Zielinski, Jorginho, Hamsik; Callejon, Mertens, Insigne
Prediction: milan win
