Napoli vs AC Milan - Champions League: TV channel, team news, lineups & prediction
Napoli host AC Milan for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday evening trailing the Rossoneri on aggregate after a 1-0 reverse at San Siro.
Luciano Spalletti's runaway league leaders sit 22 points above Milan, the reigning Serie A champions, but have suffered two quick-fire defeats at the hands of a club that is emerging as Napoli's bogey team.
Milan's title defence is all but over yet Stefano Pioli's side have scored five goals without reply across their past two meetings with Napoli. Ismael Bennacer rifled a crisp shot through Alex Meret's weak wrists to decide the first leg at San Siro, which came just ten days after Milan romped to a 4-0 thrashing of Napoli away from home in Serie A.
As each manager rotated key stars, both sides were held to tepid draws on their return to domestic duties last weekend. There will be no such reservations for this delicately poised conclusion to an enthralling tie.
Where are Napoli vs Milan playing?
- Location: Naples, Italy
- Stadium: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
- Date: Tuesday 18 April
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
- VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
Napoli vs Milan H2H Results (Last Five Games)
- Napoli: 2 wins
- Milan: 3 wins
- Draws: 0
Current Form (Last Five Games)
- Napoli: WLWLD
- Milan: LWDWD
How to watch Napoli vs Milan on TV and live stream
Country | Television Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | BT Sport 2 / BTSport.com |
United States | Paramount+ / ViX+ |
Canada | DAZN |
Napoli team news
Napoli suffered more damage in the first leg than the 1-0 scoreline may suggest. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was booked twice in the space of five second-half minutes, earning himself a red card which rules him out of the upcoming tie.
Spalletti has lauded Kim Min-jae as the "best defender in the world" this season but the centre-back will not be available to show his worth in Naples after collecting a suspension-inducing yellow card four minutes after Anguissa's red.
In better news, Spalletti confirmed that Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen will start the second leg after returning from injury in a goalless stalemate against Hellas Verona on Saturday. Backup striker Giovanni Simeone is expected to remain sidelined with a muscular problem.
Napoli predicted lineup vs Milan
(4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Elmas, Lobotka, Zielinski; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
Milan team news
While Napoli are able to welcome back their focal point up front, there was a real concern that Milan would be without their number nine. However, after sitting out the 1-1 draw with Bologna on Saturday and missing training the following day, Olivier Giroud was back with the group for Monday's session.
Giroud may have shaken off his Achilles tendon issues but Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be involved. Pioli left the 41-year-old out of his Champions League squad altogether for the second half of the season given his chronic struggles with a myriad of injury issues this season.
Milan predicted lineup vs Napoli
(4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Krunic; Diaz, Bennacer, Leao; Giroud.
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Napoli vs Milan score prediction
This is arguably the most exciting second leg of this season's Champions League quarter-finals. There are a glut of intriguing personal battles scattered all over the pitch; can Khvicha Kvaratskhelia get the better of Davide Calabria, will Ismael Bennacer continue to snuff out Stanislav Lobotka, is Rafael Leao going to run around, over and through Giovanni Di Lorenzo again?
However, there will be a new element tossed into this febrile matchup which has been missing from the previous three meetings between the clubs this season. Osimhen's influence on this Napoli side stretches far beyond his hefty tally of 25 goals this season - though that alone would be significant.
The impossibly long-legged striker is a one-man swarm, hell-bent on unsettling even the most unflappable backline. With Osimhen back through the middle, roared on by a crowd once again unified after peace talks with the owner, Napoli are more than capable of overturning the first-leg deficit to ensure their remarkable campaign doesn't end in the last eight.
Prediction: Napoli 2-0 Milan