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AC Milan vs. Girona: UCL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction
With a Champions League win against Girona on Wednesday, AC Milan will want to extend their winning run and keep themselves in contention for a crucial top-eight finish.
With two games remaining, the Italian giants have a 12-point lead thanks to four consecutive victories, while Girona's debutants are in danger of elimination due to their pitiful three points.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
After losing their first two league-phase matches, Milan seemed precarious. However, they bounced back with victories over Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Slovan Bratislava, and Red Star Belgrade, securing a spot in the playoffs.
The Rossoneri can now focus on aiming for automatic qualifying for the last 16 after last month's 2-1 home triumph against Red Star. Rafael Leao scored the first goal, and Tammy Abraham scored the late winner.
Milan may have roused themselves from their European sleep, but they remain plagued by domestic inconsistency. Since the Champions League went into hibernation, they have won only twice in six Serie A matches.
However, a managerial change in the middle of the season has paid dividends; under new coach Sergio Conceicao's guidance, an underachieving team was able to win the Supercoppa Italiana within a week of his arrival after overcoming deficits against Juventus and Inter, two of its local rivals.
On Saturday, Milan lost 2-0 to Juventus in Turin, ending his four-game undefeated streak since replacing Portuguese teammate Paulo Fonseca. Their performance put them in eighth place in the rankings, 19 points behind first place and well below the top four teams in Italy.
Now that he has coached Porto to eight victories in their last ten group games, Conceicao is preparing for his first Champions League match as coach of the seven-time European champions.
Girona, who are making their European debut this season, have never played Italian opponents in a competitive match, so their first trip to the legendary San Siro is quite an introduction.
The Catalan club's current losing streak stands at five games, and after losing to Liverpool last month, they now have a slim chance of extending their season until January with only two victories.
Though they know they have little chance of advancing beyond the group stage, they will nevertheless play to redeem themselves and prevent a repeat of Villarreal's 2011–12 feat, which saw a Spanish club lose six times in a single Champions League season.
Girona has not scored in three consecutive away matches since Juanpe's goal in their lone victory over Slovan Bratislava. They have lost 1-0 to PSG, 1-0 to Sturm Graz and 4-0 to PSV Eindhoven.
Their four away victories this season have put Michel's squad in the middle of La Liga's standings.
Last Saturday, Los Blanquivermells lost 2-1 at Estadi Montilivi despite Arnau Martinez putting them ahead against the odds. Sevilla scored twice in the second half, including the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.
Expectations may be low for Girona when they arrive in Italy following last term's exploits, given they have only won 10 times this season.
AC Milan vs. Girona Team News
Due to Fikayo Tomori's suspension and Malick Thiaw's injuries, Milan's starting centre backs are unavailable, creating a defensive conundrum for Sergio Conceicao.
Alessandro Florenzi, Noah Okafor, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Samuel Chukwueze are all out with injuries, but Alvaro Morata and Christian Pulisic, who had been out with muscle issues, are expected to return to the lineup.
Assisted by midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, the latter has scored three goals this season, tying him for the Rossoneri lead in Europe. Tammy Abraham, who plays alongside Morata, has scored in his recent Champions League matches.
On Saturday, Yaser Asprilla and Portu both returned to the squad, ending Michel's absence from the Colombia international since before Christmas.
Due to the ongoing ankle injuries suffered by Bojan Miovski and Miguel Gutierrez, Abel Ruiz should start in the starting lineup up front.
Arnaut Danjuma ought to be named to the squad after being sidelined by sickness. Despite making only two starts, the Girona winger has taken eleven shots in the Champions League this season, more than any other player. However, he is now without a goal in eight games in the tournament. In his first eleven matches for the UCL, he scored seven goals.
Our Predictions
AC Milan to win & over 2.5 goals @ 1.97 on Sky247.ng
With Milan having won their past four Champions League games and Girona having lost their last three, the two teams will continue opposing.
Even if the hosts aren't constantly on top, they're far more formidable at San Siro; thus, the home crowd has every right to rejoice at yet another win.
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