Serie A heavyweights Milan continue their Europa League journey in the round of 16 as they entertain Slavia Praha at Stadio San Siro in the first leg of their last-16 tie. Already out of contention for other pieces of silverware, this is Rossoneri’s best chance of avoiding a second consecutive winless campaign.
Milan boss Stefano Pioli didn’t care much about this upcoming fixture last weekend as he fielded his best starting XI in an ill-tempered 1-0 win at Lazio. Noah Okafor’s late winner propelled the 19-time Italian champions to a morale-boosting win against 8-man Biancocelesti, setting them up nicely for this encounter.
After bundling out of the Champions League group stages, Milan had to navigate a tricky Europa League knockout playoff tie against French side Rennes. A thumping 3-0 first-leg win on home turf went a long way to catapulting the Italians into the round of 16, considering they lost the return leg in France 3-2.
Claiming a home lead will be crucial here, especially considering they’re unfamiliar with taking on Slavia in Prague. Luckily for Milan, their visitors are not having a great time. Days after bowing out of the MOL Cup at the hands of arch-rivals Sparta Prague, they drew 0-0 against the same side in league action.
But that doesn’t mean Milan can afford to underestimate the side that topped Europa League G ahead of Roma with a near-flawless record (W5, L1).
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Milan
As aforementioned, Milan will be under significant pressure to seal a first-leg advantage, not least because they’re without a win in the away leg of a post-group stage UEFA tie since 2017/18. Pioli’s men should feel relatively comfortable about holding up their end of the bargain at San Siro, where they’ve won seven of their ten competitive games since crashing out of the Champions League group stages (D2, L1).
More confidence stems from Rossoneri’s unbeaten record against Slavia’s cross-city rivals Sparta Prague (W6, D2) ahead of their first-ever encounter against the Red and Whites. In fact, Milan have only lost two of their 14 all-time meetings with Czech clubs in European football (W9, D3), conceding just seven goals across those clashes.
Slavia Praha
Slavia’s impressive Europa League group-stage form earned them a berth in the competition’s knockouts for the first time since 2020/21 when they incidentally reached the quarter-finals and lifted the Fortuna Liga title. However, this trip to Italy must feel like a course for the visiting fans, given the Prague outfit’s long-standing struggles on Italian soil.
The Red and Whites have suffered defeats in seven of their nine previous visits to the country. If it’s any consolation, the only time they came out with something was at this venue, courtesy of a 1-1 draw against Milan’s bitter rivals Inter in the 2019/20 Champions League group phase. But as they’re unbeaten on their last nine competitive travels (W5, D4), they’ll not go down without a fight.
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With Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori back from long-term spells on the sidelines, Tommaso Pobega is the only absentee in the Milan camp. Luka Jovic’s domestic suspension doesn’t apply to European commitments, meaning Pioli can count on his free-firing striker for this contest.
Christos Zafeiris, Petr Sevcik, Sheriff Sinyan, and Ondrej Kolar will not be part of the traveling contingent, but Slavia can draw confidence from Mojmir Chytil’s return to the fold. He’ll most likely partner up with Vaclav Jurecka up front.
Milan vs Slavia Praha Potential Lineups
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Alessandro Florenzi, Malick Thiaw, Matteo Gabbia, Theo Hernandez; Tijjani Reijnders, Ismael Bennacer; Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Slavia Praha (5-4-1): Jindrich Stanek; David Doudera, Tomas Holes, David Zima, Vlcek, Jan Boril; Vaclav Jurecka, Lukas Masopust, Oscar Dorley, Ivan Schranz; Mojmir Chytil.
Milan vs Slavia Praha Prediction
Anything other than a win in this matchup would only heighten the pressure on Pioli. Milan can’t afford a slip-up, and with all crucial first-team stars at the Italian coach’s disposal, there’s no margin for error.
While we won’t go as far as to back Milan for a multi-goal margin victory, such a possibility is well on the cards. But we, nonetheless, expect Rossoneri to win here.
Prediction: Milan Win
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