The UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday, with AC Milan hosting Tottenham Hotspur at the San Siro for the first leg of their last-16 clash.
Tottenham booked their place in the knockouts by finishing atop Group D, while Milan finished second in the Group E – three points behind Chelsea.
Putting in the work 👷#SempreMilan #UCL #ACMTOT Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/BkplOjBJH5— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 12, 2023
Putting in the work 👷#SempreMilan #UCL #ACMTOT Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/BkplOjBJH5
Can Milan take a step towards reaching their first Champions League final since 2007? Or will Spurs emulate their heroics in 2019? It’s time to take a closer look at both sides.
Let’s start with the hosts, Milan, who won three of their six Champions League group games, registering one draw and two losses along the way.
The Italian side did the double over Dinamo Zagreb before thrashing Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 on Matchday 6, but they also suffered back-to-back defeats against Chelsea.
It is worth noting that Milan head into the first leg in poor form, as they have only managed to win one of their previous eight matches across all competitions.
Having chalked up a five-game winless run in Serie A between January and February, the reigning Italian champions find themselves fifth in the table – 18 points shy of first-placed Napoli.
Over in the Premier League, Tottenham occupy fifth place in the standings – two points outside the top four and 12 points behind table-topping Arsenal.
After 23 games, no team has recorded fewer draws than Tottenham’s three, with 12 wins and eight losses coming in the process.
That said, Spurs have enjoyed consistency in the Champions League this season – losing just one of their six group games earlier in the campaign.
Antonio Conte’s men did the double over Marseille and also beat Eintracht Frankfurt, meaning they finished four points inside the top two in Group D.
Head-to-head: Milan and Spurs last met during the 2010-11 Champions League campaign. Tottenham won 1-0 at the San Siro before the teams played out a goalless draw in London.
In fact, Milan have failed to beat Tottenham in four competitive meetings, with the Italian club recording two draws and two losses over the years.
Team news: Milan look set to be without the injured quartet of Ismael Bennacer, Fikayo Tomori, Mike Maignan and Alessandro Florenzi for the first leg.
Hugo Lloris, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are all long-term injury absentees for Tottenham, with Fraser Forster expected to start in goal on Tuesday.
With the second leg of this tie scheduled for March 8, both sides are expected to approach Tuesday’s clash with caution.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Milan and Tottenham will play out a low-scoring draw at the San Siro – setting up pivotal second leg in London.