Milan v Tottenham is a Champions League round of 16 first leg match played on Tuesday at 21:00: live TV, formations, predictions
The Milan Rossoneri will taste the thrill of playing in the knockout phase of the cup with big ears almost a decade later. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the last time AC Milan were able to get through the group stage of the Champions League: it was the 2013-14 season and the Diavolo were eliminated by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid (later finalist), who prevailed both in the first leg and in the return.
The feeling is that an eternity has also passed since the last draw in Nyon which paired Stefano Pioli’s team with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, his old rival from his two years at Inter. We are only talking about a few months ago, but the worrying involution the Rossoneri have undergone in the post-World Cup period makes one perceive that moment as very distant in time. At the time, the reigning Italian champions breathed a long sigh of relief, aware that there were greater pitfalls in the urn than Spurs. In fact, Milan qualified as runners-up behind Chelsea and Tottenham – who came through as runners-up ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting CP and Marseille – were certainly not the worst possible opponents to come into the round of 16. But Leao and his team-mates are a different team to last November.
Tottenham unbeaten against AC Milan
January was a truly nightmare month for Milan, who were only able to beat Salernitana. Pioli suddenly lost his bearings, and the team that showed they could overcome their limitations in the previous season thanks to the strength of the group is now a faded memory.
Son
The defence has rediscovered itself as fragile – 19 goals conceded in 2023 between league, Coppa Italia and the Super Cup – partly due to the absence of starting goalkeeper Maignan, and the defensive numbers have suddenly collapsed. On the last day Milan broke their winless streak, beating Torino 1-0 thanks to a Giroud goal, but it was not a convincing victory. Tottenham also arrived in Milan in low spirits, having just suffered a heavy defeat in the Premier League against Leicester, who came back from a 4-1 defeat to end a run of three consecutive successes, including the prestigious one against Manchester City. Continuity remains a chimera for the Londoners, who are currently outside the top four places. The statistics, however, smile on the English, who have never lost to Milan in their four previous official matches.
Milan-Tottenham: latest line-up news
In Milan we will see the three-man defence again, formed by Kalulu, Kjaer (in the run-off with Thiaw) and Tomori. A tactical choice that so far seems to be paying off for Pioli, who, in order to counter the defensive haemorrhage, has preferred to add an extra defender to his line-up. In the midfield Bennacer and Tonali will act as a screen, while in attack Leao and Giroud will play, supported in the three-quarter by Brahim Diaz. Tatarusanu will again go in goal.
Conte, who will be without his starting midfield at the San Siro, also has to reckon with significant absences: Bentancur is injured and Hojbjerg is disqualified. In their place should be the unpublished pair of Sarr and Skipp, who frankly are not the same. Like his colleague Pioli, the Salento coach will not have his goalkeeper and captain Lloris, victim of a knee injury: it will be deputy Forster’s turn.
The Prediction
Pioli is aware that his side will have to step up their game if they are to have a chance of getting through the round and back into Europe’s top eight. It might help that Tottenham are a far from unbeatable team at the moment, as Conte’s men’s limp performance in the Premier League shows. But Spurs seem to have something more than the Rossoneri in any case, despite the fact that for the bookmakers there is great balance. Remaining far from the final result, the San Siro is a match in which there should be no shortage of goals: both defences are stuttering and it is highly likely that the two teams will score at least one goal each.
According to Milan-Tottenham line-up
- MILAN (3-4-1-2): Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Calabria, Tonali, Bennacer, Hernandez; Brahim Diaz; Giroud, Leao.
- TOTTENHAM (3-4-2-1): Forster; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson Royal, Sarr, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
