It’s the clash of two Italian giants in the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals as they fight for a slot in the last 4 of the competition.
It’s the clash of two Italian giants in the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals as they fight for a slot in the last 4 of the competition. After a 1-0 win to AC Milan in the first leg, Milan hopes to continue their dominance over Napoli again this year.
Despite a 0-0 draw against Verona over the weekend, Napoli remains on course to take the Serie A crown away from AC Milan this season. Despite that, the Blues may be feeling very much like the inferior half of this matchup in recent times. They lost a home league meeting earlier in the month by an astonishing 4-0 margin, then failed to dish out any revenge in the first leg of this UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie last week when they went down 1-0 at the San Siro.
Consequently, Milan could now become the first team to beat Napoli three times in one season since Lazio back in 1994/95. Despite their recent setbacks, the hosts do boast a proud home record in this competition, avoiding defeat in each of their last 12 UEFA Champions League games at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium with 9 wins and 3 Draws. Notably, all four matches here in this year’s edition of the competition delivered victories.
While Milan earned themselves what could be a crucial lead going into this second leg, manager Stefano Pioli admitted there was some “regret” that his side couldn’t extend their lead late in the first game following André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s red card. There would have also been some further frustration that they weren’t able to strengthen their position in the Serie A top four following a 1-1 draw at Bologna at the weekend.
While their goal was breached in that clash, robust defensive displays have laid the foundations for Milan’s impressive UCL run this season. They have shut out their opponents in each of their last five UCL matches – their best consecutive run of clean sheets since 2004/05 when they went all the way to the competition’s final.
By: Herosportgh.com/Solomon Duah (Sports Atom)
COMMENTS