Matchday 3 of the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League kicks off on Thursday, with AC Milan hosting Lille at San Siro in Group H.
Milan sit top of the group following victories over Celtic and Sparta Prague, while Lille are second having beaten Sparta and drawn with Celtic.
It is no secret that Milan have made a flying start to the season. Not only are they top of Group H, they also find themselves leading the way in Serie A.
After six domestic games, the Rossoneri have picked up five wins and a draw, scoring 14 goals while conceding just five.
Milan come into this game on the back of a 2-1 victory over Udinese. Once again, it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored the winning goal.
The veteran striker has now netted eight goals in just seven appearances in all competitions this season, including three straight braces in Serie A.
Even at the ripe old age of 39, Ibrahimovic remains Milan’s main goal threat. Needless to say, Lille will be eager to keep him quiet.
Lille crushed Sparta 4-1 on Matchday 1, with Yusuf Yazici bagging a hat-trick. Les Dogues were then forced to fight back from two goals down to rescue a draw with Celtic last week.
Christophe Galtier’s men have now claimed three straight draws in all competitions, with ties against Nice and Lyon coming either side of the Celtic match.
Still, Lille remain unbeaten in Ligue 1. Five wins and four draws have seen them keep pace with PSG. In fact, Lille are only two points behind the league leaders.
The French side have scored a respectable 15 domestic goals this term, but perhaps more importantly, they have only conceded four in reply.
Head-to-head: These two sides last faced each other in 2006, when the teams were competing in the Champions League.
The sides played out a goalless draw in France, before Lille claimed a famous 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture at San Siro.
Team news: Milan will be without injured duo Mateo Musacchio and Samu Castillejo on Wednesday. It’s safe to say that Ibrahimovic will not want to be rested.
Lille have no fresh injury concerns ahead of this game. New signing Jonathan David started on the bench last time out, so he is expected to return to the starting line-up.
Worn out after a long Monday ❓Get your adrenaline pumping with the #MilanSparta show! ⚽️⚽️⚽️#UEL #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/ok26Hgxnse— AC Milan (@acmilan) November 2, 2020
Worn out after a long Monday ❓Get your adrenaline pumping with the #MilanSparta show! ⚽️⚽️⚽️#UEL #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/ok26Hgxnse
This is set to be a closely-fought encounter between two of the strongest sides in this year’s Europa League.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score. However, the game is likely to end in a draw.