AC Milan will host Napoli at San Siro this Saturday at 18:00 CET as both of the Italian giants are struggling to catch a good run of form this season.
Milan only have a solitary win in the last five outings. Even that win came after an inspiring moment from Suso, who made all the difference on that day. However, consecutive losses to their rivals, Lazio and Juve ruined the atmosphere for Rossoneri.
Positive impulse
Still, not all is lost for recently-appointed Stefano Pioli. His side competed very well in both of their latest losses, and almost got a point out of the Juve clash if it weren’t for Dybala’s sheer quality and Bianconeri’s incredible squad depth.
Rade Krunic was introduced to the starting line-up against Lazio and Juventus, showing he can bring the impulse the team needs. Ismael Bennacer and Hakan Calhanoglu also proved that they can be relied upon, while a lot more is expected from the Brazilian talent Paqueta.
Lack of efficiency
The biggest issue for Milan lies in the center of the attack. Piatek is unable to find his form, scoring just three goals to date, while his replacement, Andre Silva – scored none. This is partly due to the underwhelming creation of chances. They scored just 11 goals – with only five of those coming from an open play. And while the lack of creation could be an argument, a lot more is expected from the team’s spearhead.
On the other hand, Napoli has entirely different problems.
Gli Azzurri are the proud representers of the South. They bring in passion, they bring in tenacity and aggression, but those things tend to backfire sometimes – and backfire they did. Not on the pitch though, as the club owner, the controversial film-maker, Aurelio De Laurentiis ordered in ritiro for the whole team after a loss to Roma, meaning that they players retreat to a training camp where they must spend seven days without leaving it for anything other than football matches.
Riot in the squad
The team didn’t like the measures, and some of the players headed straight home after the Red Bull Salzburg draw in the Champions League. The president then proceeded to threaten the team with lawsuits, and the information that Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon won’t have their contracts renewed leaked very soon. The movement leader was perhaps the team’s best player – Lorenzo Insigne.
Napoli are on a four-match winless streak, which put them at seventh in the league table, with Juventus far away with 13 points ahead. The title challenge looks impossible at this point, and Ancelotti is on the hot seat, especially after publicly supporting players over the president in the turmoil.
Despite all of their problems, the team doesn’t actually play that bad. They create quite a lot, but they were let down by their finishing far too often this season.
Both of these teams are looking to regain their form and get back on track. It’s expected of both sides to give it their all in order to prove the doubters wrong. Milan had both teams scoring in their match six out of the last eight outings. As for Napoli, that was the case in all but one of their last six matches.
Prediction: Both Teams to Score. Make sure to bet on AC Milan vs Napoli with 22Bet!
