We are heading towards the crucial part of the Champions League group stage now and it’s Milan vs PSG on Tuesday night from San Siro. The Rossoneri are without a victory across any of their last four competitive matches and pressure is starting to mount on head coach Stefano Pioli.
Meanwhile, visitors Paris Saint-Germain are starting to click under Spanish boss Luis Enrique and they enter the colossal clash on the back of five consecutive wins. Les Parisiens currently lead the way in Group F and bounced back from their vehement 4-1 loss away to Newcastle United by easily despatching Milan 3-0 at Parc des Princes in their most recent European outing.
Having picked up just two points from their Champions League campaign thus far, last year’s semi-finalists Milan will feel like they need to find all three points in this one if they are to qualify for the knockouts. It doesn’t appear as significant for PSG but the group is still wide open. Read our Milan vs PSG preview below as we prepare for a huge battle in Lombardy.
Milan Preview
Winning seven of their first eight Serie A matches to open the 2023/24 season seemed like a fantastic start for Milan. However, a 5-1 defeat in the Derby della Madonnina against cross-city rivals Inter should have raised the alarm bells. Perhaps the solid opening to the campaign papered over the cracks since the Rossoneri are now struggling.
Pioli’s side are without a win over their last four in all competitions and have lost three of those in the process. It is certainly a worrying time for Milan. It looked as though they were able to get back on track after going two-nil up away to Napoli to end the month. However, they were unable to hold on to the win, conceding two in the second half to draw the match 2-2. Milan now trail Inter by six points atop Serie A and are in danger of crashing out of Europe if they aren’t able to find results soon.
It is now back-to-back defeats at San Siro for Milan too. They disappointed at home to Juventus towards the end of October before suffering a surprise 1-0 loss to Udinese at the weekend. That was Udinese’s first triumph of the campaign as well, making the defeat even more damning. Still without a goal or a win after three Champions League matches, Milan need to at least hit the back of the net when they welcome PSG to San Siro on Tuesday. Three points is vital and now is the time for the Rossoneri to get back on track.
One To Watch: Olivier Giroud
Goals have been hard to come by for Milan of late and they have failed to score in three of their last four matches. Olivier Giroud was the last player to hit the back of the net for the hosts after he bagged a brace against Italian champions Napoli. The Rossoneri will need him to be on form on Tuesday.
PSG Preview
A slow start to the season for PSG means that the French champions do not currently lead Ligue 1. Nevertheless, they are just one point behind leaders Nice and PSG look to be back at their best. Enrique has managed to guide his men to five straight victories heading into this one so they look in great shape. PSG easily defeated Montpellier at the weekend, with goals from Lee Kang-In, Warren Zaire-Emery and Vitinha securing a comfortable 3-0 triumph.
A 4-1 loss away to Newcastle to open October appears to have been the turning point for the club. Since that defeat, PSG have kept three clean sheets and have scored a total of 15 goals, scoring exactly three goals in all five outings. They have won their last three successive home matches by a 3-0 scoreline and have balanced defense and offense well. Having defeated Milan 3-0 in the reverse fixture, PSG have been able to take control of Group F.
Les Parisiens are still susceptible to conceding goals on the road, however, and have just one clean sheet away from home over their six matches this term. They narrowly defeated Brest 3-2 in their most recent away game, secured late on via Kylian Mbappe. It won’t be easy for the French side when they visit Milan on Tuesday and it looks set to be a pivotal match in the group.
One To Watch: Warren Zaire-Emery
Seventeen-year-old Zaire-Emery is set to be the next star to come out of France. He has been a regular for PSG this season and has managed to provide seven goal contributions in 13 matches across all competitions this term. Averaging an assist per game in Europe this season, he is expected to make an impact for the away side in this one. He also set-up both Mbappe and Lee during PSG’s 3-0 drubbing over Milan.
Head-to-Head
The comprehensive victory for PSG last month was in fact their first-ever against Milan. The Rossoneri had a record of two wins and two draws prior to that match but their unbeaten streak against the French side has now ended.
Milan vs PSG Potential Lineups & Team News
Milan (4-3-3): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rade Krunic, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao
The hosts are set to welcome back two key players for the match here. Theo Hernandez and Christian Pulisic were unable to feature against Udinese but will be able to play in this one. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was also able to make an appearance off the bench at the weekend, playing his first minutes since September.
However, Pioli will still be unable to call upon the services of Ismael Bennacer, Mattia Caldara, Marco Pellegrino, Marco Sportiello and Simon Kjaer. Pierre Kalalu will be absent for the next few months after undergoing surgery in what is a big blow. Samuel Chukwueze is expected to be able to return, though, bolstering the options out wide for the home side.
PSG (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Milan Skriniar, Lucas Hernandez; Vitinha, Manuel Ugarte, Warren Zaire-Emery; Ousmane Dembele, Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappe
Enrique has often utilized a 4-2-2-2 system this season and that is the formation he has deployed over the last two matches. However, they were left too open when playing like that against Newcastle so it is likely that PSG will return to a three-man midfield, like during the reverse fixture last month.
Marco Asensio, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes, Keylor Navas, Danilo Pereira and Sergio Rico were all absent for the game against Montpellier at the weekend and they are all expected to remain out for the trip to Milan.
Milan vs PSG Prediction
The Milan faithful will be aiming to create a hostile atmosphere for PSG, especially for Gianluigi Donnarumma in his return to San Siro. The home support could have a huge role in Milan getting a result in what is a significant match towards qualification.
Coupled with the return of some key players, Milan’s chances of securing a result are greater. However, the away side appear to be in too good form for the hosts to pick up all three points.
Milan 1-1 PSG