AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur will look to take a step closer to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals when they meet on Tuesday.
The UEFA Champions League is back after over three months with the Round of 16. And the action in the knockout stages kicks off at San Siro, with AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur set to face off in the first leg of their tie on Tuesday night.
2022/23 has been a tumultuous season thus far for AC Milan, with the Rossoneri blowing hot and cold thus far. Milan seemed to be in the Serie A title race going into the World Cup break. But they have fallen off considerably in the last few weeks due to a run of defeats. Meanwhile, Stefano Pioli’s men reached the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by finishing second in Group E behind Chelsea.
As for Tottenham, they qualified for the Round of 16 by clinching the top spot in Group D on the final matchday. But like AC Milan, the north Londoners have endured a disastrous run of form in domestic football. And they head into the game on Tuesday on the back of a 4-1 defeat to Leicester City in the Premier League.
Tottenham beat AC Milan 1-0 the last time the teams clashed at San Siro. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the UEFA Champions League encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Putting in the work 👷#SempreMilan #UCL #ACMTOT
Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/BkplOjBJH5— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 12, 2023
Stefano Pioli does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, the AC Milan manager might only be bereft of the services of two first-team players.
Pioli has greeted some positive updates on the team news front this week, with Fikayo Tomori and Ismael Bennacer resuming training. But Bennacer was absent from the latest training session and might not feature on Tuesday. Mike Maignan (calf) and Alessandro Florenzi (hamstring) are the other absentees.
Ciprian Tatarusanu will continue to deputise for Maignan between the sticks. And AC Milan will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him. The central defensive unit will see Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori partner with each other. The trio will look to keep Harry Kane quiet in the defensive third.
Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez should be the two wing-backs. And the duo will provide width in the final third, looking to ping in crosses to Olivier Giroud. Meanwhile, Tommaso Pobega should fill in for Bennacer in the middle of the park, with Sandro Tonali his midfield partner.
Brahim Diaz will pull the strings from a free role in the final third. And Rafael Leao will complete the offensive unit, with the Portuguese international being the game-changer for AC Milan. Finally, Giroud will spearhead the attack against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Tatarusanu; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Calabria, Pobega, Tonali, Hernandez; Diaz, Leao; Giroud
Tottenham Hotspur
Unlike his counterpart in the AC Milan dugout, Antonio Conte has new roster issues compounding his woes ahead of the trip to San Siro. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be without four first-team players on Tuesday.
Rodrigo Bentancur is the latest absentee, with the Uruguayan international’s season coming to a premature end due to a long-term knee injury. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is another notable player missing, as he will serve a one-match suspension. Hugo Lloris (knee) and Yves Bissouma (ankle) are the other players on the sidelines.
Tottenham recently considered bringing Ben Foster out of retirement due to Lloris’s absence. But that does not seem to be on the cards, with Fraser Forster nailed on as the deputy goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the visitors will line up in the usual 3-4-2-1 formation in front of the experienced shot-stopper.
We can confirm that Rodrigo Bentancur has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out of action for the remainder of the campaign.
He will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff.
We're all behind you, Rodrigo 💙 pic.twitter.com/Jfk6oUScHm
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 13, 2023
Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Ben Davies will likely form the central defensive unit. And the trio will need to be on top of their game to negate AC Milan on the night. Pedro Porro endured a poor outing against Leicester City, drawing the ire of Tottenham legend Tim Sherwood.
The Spaniard might drop to the bench, with Emerson Royal starting in his place. Ivan Perisic has been in fine form in the UEFA Champions League and picks himself on the left flank. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past the young duo of Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr.
Harry Kane will spearhead the Tottenham attack against AC Milan. And Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski should join the north London club’s all-time top scorer in the final third. Meanwhile, Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma should be the backup offensive options for Conte.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Forster; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Sarr, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s fixture will be the fifth competitive meeting between AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur, with the north Londoners unbeaten across each of the previous four (W2 D2).
- Tottenham Hotspur have played at San Siro on three previous occasions in the UEFA Champions League, with their one victory coming against AC Milan (two defeats vs Inter Milan). Gareth Bale has scored 60 per cent of their goals (3/5), with the Welshman’s hat-trick in October 2010 versus Inter one of only two instances of a visiting player netting a treble at the Giuseppe Meazza (also Rivaldo for Barcelona in 2000).
- Antonio Conte has won eight of his last nine games as a manager against AC Milan (L1), between 2013 and 2021. He has seen his side win and keep a clean sheet in his last three trips to face the Rossoneri away from home (2-0 in 2014, 2-0 in 2019 and 3-0 in 2021 – all in Serie A).
- AC Milan will play in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2013/14 season when Atletico Madrid beat them 5-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16. They have failed to score in nine of their last 14 matches in the knockout stages of the competition.
- Olivier Giroud has been directly involved in six goals for AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League (four goals and two assists). The last player with more in a single campaign in the competition for the Rossoneri was Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2011/12 (nine – five goals and four assists).
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Kane has been in a league of his own at Tottenham Hotspur this season. And the English striker recently became the north London club’s all-time top scorer, overcoming Jimmy Greaves’s tally. The experienced striker has also shattered a few other records this season.
But Kane has had to carry the Tottenham attack on his own, with Son Heung-min struggling to no end. In addition, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski have struggled with fitness issues. So Kane will again need to do the heavy lifting to guide the visitors to a crucial win over AC Milan.
Prediction
AC Milan 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
The match pits two teams that have been extremely inconsistent thus far in 2023. And with their defensive units struggling considerably, the game should feature a few goals. So players like Harry Kane, Rafael Leao, and Olivier Giroud should be in business on Tuesday.
But while both goalkeepers will likely concede, Ciprian Tatarusanu might be the busier of the two shot-stoppers. And Kane might guide Tottenham to a win to hand the visitors an advantage in the tie. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Antonio Conte and his charges.