milan vs. Napoli: the duel between a historic past and a promising future

Milan and Napoli meet for the first time in the Champions League this Wednesday, to put the pass to the semi-finals on track in what will be a duel between the historic past of a seven-time champion of the top continental league, and the promising future Neapolitan, making his debut in this round, is certainly one of the biggest revelations.

A clash that, between two Italian teams, greatly equalizes the battle. They know each other from the domestic championship and the surprise that Naples could give is overshadowed by a Milan going against the background of the most recent meeting between the two, a 0-4 in favor of the ‘rossoneri’ who the game destabilized. foundations of the partenopeos at the time which revived milanist confidence.

But despite the embarrassing defeat to Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli remain the absolute leader of a Serie A that has ruled from the start and is only waiting for the math to travel to the southern city, in what will be the third ‘Scudetto’. of the ‘azzurri’.

In addition to the possible dizziness that the debut in the quarter-finals can give, Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli arrives somewhat weakened in the game. And it is that the doubts center on the offensive, with the Nigerian Victor Osimhen and the Italian Giacomo Raspadori between cotton; and with Argentina’s Giovanni Simeone permanently ruled out due to an injury to his right femoral biceps.

The rest of the players are available, although it should be noted that the South Korean Kim Min-Jae, leader of the center of the rearguard, is alert and, seeing a yellow card, would not play the decisive round in Maradona. .

The fitness of the attacker could vary the Italian coach’s usual schedule, putting Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as a reference, something that undoubtedly leaves without the sharp canine of the Nigerian striker, capable of unblocking the most closed games .

Something that would certainly serve them against a Milan whose main asset will be the construction of the game through defensive solidity, the one that took them to the top of Italy last season and which they have only released in the Champions League this season, in important matches such as the round of 16 against Tottenham.

The victory against Naples was followed by a goalless draw against modest Empoli that revealed another poor version of the team led by Italy’s Stefano Pioli.

But returning to the ‘Champions’ eleven years after the last time and hearing the national anthem again in a Giuseppe Meazza excited to feel well again will be enough motivation for a Milan returning to the defense of four, with the Frenchman Theo Hernández As a deep winger, who guided the Portuguese Rafael Leao in the attack, the most dangerous piece in the Milanista offensive.

In the middle of the field, the Italian Sandro Tonali and the Algerian Ismael Bennacer will be in charge of stopping the Trident of Naples, formed by the Slovak Stanislav Lobotka, the Pole Piotr Zielinski and the Cameroonian Zambo Anguissa.

Above, alongside Leao, Spaniard Brahim Díaz will be safe, sitting in the starting eleven and with stripes to pull the car in difficult moments, and Frenchman Olivier Giroud as a clean nine. The Swede Ibrahimovic was not on the list for the Champions League, so he will not be able to play minutes.

The ‘Champions’ will once again turn the spotlight on Italy after an absence of several years with a semi-final on the line between Milan and Naples that have taken almost hostile paths during the season but are measured in a battle of equals where everything is opened.

possible alignments

Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Kjaer, Theo; Bennacer, Tonali; Leao, Krunic, Brahim; Giroud.

Naples: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim Min-Jae, Mario Rui; Lobotka, Zielinski, Anguissa; Lozano, Kvaratskhelia and Politano or Elmas.

Referee: Istvan Kovacs (RUM).

Stadium: Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro).

Colombia hours): 2:00.

Source: El heraldo

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