Tottenham Hotspur are all set to host AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League as they search for a place in the quarter-finals.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will play host to a high-voltage UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg fixture between AC Milan and Tottenham. The two teams will square up against each other in search of a quarter-final spot.
Spurs made it into the Round of 16 after an impressive run in Group D. The London club finished on top, with 11 points out of their 6 fixtures. Antonio Conte’s men won three, drew two and lost one fixture on their way to the knockout stage.
Tottenham lost the first leg 1-0 away from home and will be looking to bounce back when they host the Italian giants. Conte, who will return to the dugout on Wednesday, will be a touch concerned given their form of late. Spurs have lost three of their last five outings in all competitions.
They will be heading into this encounter on the back of two consecutive defeats. Their last outing against Wolves in the Premier League was a 1-0 defeat away from home. The London club will be eager to do better when they square up against Milan as they look to progress to the next round.
Meanwhile, AC Milan have a one-goal advantage heading into the second leg. They had a good game at home last time around and will look to replicate that performance on Wednesday night. The Rossoneri finished second in Group E behind Chelsea to make it to the Round of 16. The Italian giants finished with ten points thanks to three wins and a draw in their six outings.
Their overall record of late has been good, as they have won four out of their last five fixtures. However, AC Milan are heading into this encounter on the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina and will be eager to return to winning ways.
Stefano Pioli will be eager to get a result at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and progress to the next round. It is going to be a closely fought battle between two high-quality sides. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the teams and the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will head into the encounter without the likes of Ryan Sessegnon, Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur. Eric Dier will also miss this fixture after being suspended because of his third European caution of the campaign in the first leg. But, they do have a boost as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is back from suspension.
Back tomorrow
🔜 @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/YlSKHdlynu
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 7, 2023
Antonio Conte’s men will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Fraser Forster in goal. Clement Lenglet, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies will form the back three in front of Forster. The midfield four in front of the defence will see Emerson Royal and Ivan Perisic play out wide.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will pair up with Oliver Skipp in the centre of the park. Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min will star as the wide attacking midfielders, and they will look to supply balls for Spurs’ record goal scorer Harry Kane.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane
AC Milan
Stefano Pioli’s team have been cursed with injuries in the ongoing season. But, he is expected to have a fully-fit squad at his disposal for the second leg of the Round of 16. Their only concern is the fitness of Brahim Diaz, who sustained a knee injury and missed their previous fixture.
Final session before jetting off ✈️
London's calling, let's pick up 📞Ultimo allenamento a Milanello e poi si parte per Londra: dai ragazzi! ❤️🖤#TOTACM #UCL #SempreMilan
Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/2nwZSJBOIo— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 7, 2023
Mike Maignan, who missed the first leg fixture, is back and fully fit to start this time around. The visitors are likely to call him back to their European squad. Rafael Leao and Rade Krunic, who missed their previous fixture due to domestic suspension, are ready to take the field in the Champions League.
Pioli is also expected to star with the 3-4-2-1 formation. Maignan will start in goal, and the back three in front of him will be made up of Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori.
Alexis Saelemaekers will start as the right wing-back, and Theo Hernandez will take charge on the left-hand side. Sandro Tonali will pair up with Rade Krunic at the centre of the park. Charles de Ketelaere and Leao will play out wide behind the frontman Olivier Giroud.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Krunic, Tonali, Hernandez; De Ketelaere, Leao; Giroud
Key Stats
- AC Milan have played twenty-one away games against English clubs across all European competition but have only won once.
- Tottenham Hotspur have lost four out of their six UCL knockout games at home.
- AC Milan have only been knocked out three times out of 21 after taking a lead in the first leg. Their last such loss came against Barcelona in 2005.
- In the last five encounters between Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan, Spurs have won three games, lost one and drawn one.
- Tottenham Hotspur have progressed to the next round in two of their last three European ties after losing the first leg.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
Rafael Leao has been in sensational form of late. The Portuguese international has been an integral part of the Milan setup for a while now. And, Stefano Pioli will once again rely on the 23-year-old to get the job done in the final third.
Leao has 19 goal contributions in 32 outings this season. He has four goal contributions in seven Champions League fixtures. But, he has only found the back of the net in the UCL once and will surely look to add another when he takes the field against Tottenham.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 AC Milan
AC Milan might be heading into this fixture on the back of a loss. But, they have been rock solid in the recent past. They have won four of their last five fixtures and are expected to get a positive result against Tottenham to make it into the next round.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte’s men have struggled in the recent past. They have lost three out of their last five outings. It has not been that great a time for the English top-flight club. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away team.
Good