AC Milan Vs Napoli: Rossoneri's Determination Of Jegal Partenopei At San Siro

AC Milan players are determined to secure three points at home (photo: x @acmilan)

JAKARTA - Two Serie A giants will face each other in a big match on Sunday evening, September 28 local time, when AC Milan host Napoli at the San Siro. The club's meeting has great potential to affect the title race this season. Milan, who is rebuilding its power under the command of Massimiliano Allegri, is preparing to try out the strength of the defending champion Napoli, who still holds a perfect record in Serie A this season.

After slipping in the opening week of Serie A, Milan slowly began to find the rhythm of their best game. In the last three league games, the Rossoneri wiped the win without a single goal their best record in the last five years. A 3-0 win over Udinese last week, thanks to two goals from Christian Pulisic, brought Milan through the top three of the standings.

The victory was followed by the dominant performance in the Coppa Italia in the middle of the week, when they beat Lecce who had to play with 10 players. With a score of 3-0, Milan advanced to the round of 16. Santiago Gimenez finally broke the deadlock of his goal, while Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku also listed their names on the scoreboard.

Allegri's presence on the bench will return after he underwent a ban on accompanying the team due to the incident in the Coppa Italia 2024 final. This meeting also marks the first meeting of Allegri and Antonio Conte in nearly 12 years two coaches with a strong reputation and an equally explosive leadership style.

Although historically Milan have often appeared dominant over Napoli at the San Siro, trends in recent seasons have said otherwise. Napoli have won seven of their last twelve league meetings at home to Milan, including a 2-0 win in October last year.

Napoli came into this match with confidence as the leader of Serie A. After losing 2-0 to Manchester City in the Champions League in a match that was damaged by a quick red card for Giovanni Di Lorenzo' Pettenopei to rise by defeating Pisa 3-2 at home. The opening goal of Billy Gilmour, as well as Lorenzo Lucca's first goal, gave a new spirit to Conte's troops who are currently two points ahead of Juventus.

Under Conte, Napoli have only lost two defeats in Serie A's 21 away matches which show they are not afraid to play at any opponent's headquarters, including San Siro. However, Milan is also rebuilding their identity as a team that is difficult to beat, especially at home.

Team Condition

From Milan's camp, Santiago Gimenez, who scored his first goal this season, had to compete closely with Christopher Nkunku to accompany Pulisic on the front lines. Meanwhile, Portuguese star Rafael Leprihat is likely to be on the bench after a long absence from a calf injury.

Luka Modric, who was rested in the Coppa Italia match, will again set the rhythm of the game from midfield. This match will also bring Modric together with Napoli's top midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, in a midfield duel that is confirmed to be in the spotlight.

Under the bar, Mike Maignan is back on track after recovering from injury and appearing in midweek matches. However, young midfielder Ardon Jashari still cannot be played due to injury.

Napoli had to lose tough defender Alessandro Bungionno, who suffered an injury against Pisa. He joined Romelu Lukaku on the injury list. However, Antonio Conte still has almost all his main strengths, including Rasmus Höjlund, who is back in charge of attack lines.

Midfielders Frank Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka are likely to re-enter the starting XI after being rotated in the previous match. Lorenzo Lucca, who scored an important goal over Pisa, is likely to start from the bench.

With two defensive-character coaches like Allegri and Conte, as well as a huge burden not to lose points in Scudetto's tight competition, this match is expected to be tight and full of calculations. Both teams both have a solid backline and strength in midfield. A low-score draw is likely to be the end of this fierce duel.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

AC Milan (3-5-2):Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Estupinan; Pulisic, Gimenez

Napoli (4-1-4-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Jesus, Spinazzola; Lobotka; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Höjlund

Score Prediction: AC Milan 1-1 Napoli