A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan, the defending Italian Champions, have not had a successful return from the World Cup break, and it is not certain that they will secure a top-four spot in Serie A. Nevertheless, they gained some confidence over the weekend by breaking their losing streak, and they will seek to gain an advantage in the upcoming Champions League match on Tuesday in order to take it to England next month.
A.C. Milan, who have won several European Cup titles, second only to Real Madrid, have been relatively inactive in recent years. They have, however, participated in the Champions League in consecutive campaigns, but prior to the last season, they had not played in the competition since 2014. Milan’s victories over Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg at home were critical in securing a place in the Knock Out Round. Nevertheless, in the past fourteen months, they have been defeated by Liverpool and Chelsea from the Premier League.
Before their recent narrow 1-0 victory over Torino, AC Milan had been winless in seven matches across all competitions, with four consecutive losses in that span. Additionally, the team had not won any of their previous four matches at the San Siro, including a defeat to their “away” rivals Inter in the Milan derby. To compound matters, Milan suffered a humiliating 2-5 loss to Sassuolo in front of their own supporters.
AC Milan will be facing injury and availability concerns, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan ruled out, and both Fikayo Tomori and Ismael Bennacer being doubtful for the upcoming match.
A.C. Milan Last 5 Results
✅ 10/02/23. 20:45 AC Milan – Torino 1 : 0 (0 : 0) (1 : 0) Serie A
❌ 05/02/23. 20:45 Inter – AC Milan 1 : 0 (1 : 0) (0 : 0) Serie A
❌ 29/01/23. 12:30 AC Milan – Sassuolo 2 : 5 (1 : 3) (1 : 2) Serie A
✅ 24/01/23. 20:45 Lazio – AC Milan 4 : 0 (2 : 0) (2 : 0) Serie A
❌ 18/01/23. 20:00 AC Milan – Inter 0 : 3 (0 : 2) (0 : 1) Super Cup
Tottenham Hotspur
Although his Assistant Manager is still handling media duties, Antonio Conte returned to the sidelines for Tottenham Hotspur after undergoing recent surgery. However, his experience was not pleasant as he witnessed his team take the lead, only to crumble in a 4-1 defeat against Leicester City. Consequently, he will need an immediate response from his players if they hope to progress to the Champions League Quarter Final.
Tottenham Hotspur made it to the Champions League Final back in 2019, but their recent performances have been much less impressive. Their best performance in this competition was a Last 16 run in 2020. This time around, Tottenham Hotspur had to score an injury-time goal on Match Day 6 in the Group Stage to secure a place in the Last 16, and their win against Marseille ended a four-game away losing streak in the Champions League.
After winning three consecutive matches across all competitions, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City and a repeat of the same scoreline in their most recent match at the King Power Stadium. The team has won three of their last five away games in all competitions, but the two away losses mentioned are a major concern.
Tottenham Hotspur will face injury and suspension concerns as they approach the first leg of the Champions League Last 16 tie. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is expected to miss both legs, while the team was dealt another major blow when Rodrigo Bentancur suffered an ACL injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. On a positive note, Cristian Romero is now available following a domestic ban. However, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is suspended for the First Leg.
Tottenham Hotspur Last 5 Results
❌ 11/02/23. 16:00 Leicester City – Tottenham Hotspur 4 : 1 (3 : 1) (1 : 0) Premier League
✅ 05/02/23. 17:30 Tottenham Hotspur – Manchester City 1 : 0 (1 : 0) (0 : 0) Premier League
✅ 28/01/23. 19:00 Preston North End – Tottenham Hotspur 0 : 3 (0 : 0) (0 : 3) FA Cup
✅ 23/01/23. 21:15 Fulham – Tottenham Hotspur 0 : 1 (0 : 1) (0 : 0) Premier League
❌ 19/01/23. 21:00 Manchester City – Tottenham Hotspur 4 : 2 (0 : 2) (4 : 0) Premier League
Head to Head
The upcoming match between AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur will mark their fifth encounter and the first since they faced each other in the Last 16 of the Champions League in 2011.
During their previous match, it was Tottenham Hotspur who emerged victorious with a 1-0 aggregate win, secured by a win at the San Siro in the First Leg.
Their first meeting in Milan took place back in April 1972, and it ended in a 1-1 draw.
01/08/18, 02:35 Tottenham Hotspur – AC Milan FT 1 : 0 (0 : 0) (1 : 0)
05/08/15, 18:15 AC Milan – Tottenham Hotspur FT 0 : 2 (0 : 1) (0 : 1)
09/03/11, 20:45 Tottenham – AC Milan FT 0 : 0 (0 : 0) (0 : 0)
15/02/11, 20:45 AC Milan – Tottenham FT 0 : 1 (0 : 0) (0 : 1)
TWV Sport Team Thoughts
When the draw for the Last 16 of the Champions League was made back in November, AC Milan was the clear favourite to win over Tottenham Hotspur in the two-legged tie. However, the current form of the Italian Champions paints a different picture, and the home team will have to put in a strong effort to secure a positive result on Tuesday.
Although Tottenham Hotspur is missing several key players for the First Leg, they may not be facing a free-flowing AC Milan team. Nonetheless, there has been a noticeable difference in quality between the Italian and English top-flight leagues in recent years. Tottenham Hotspur has shown some signs of improvement in recent weeks.
In complete contrast to Tottenham Hotspur, Milan had lost four consecutive games in all competitions before narrowly winning against Torino last weekend. Milan’s defence has been problematic, and Tottenham Hotspur has the potential to exploit these issues. However, the home team is confident in their ability to create chances.
Recently, Milan suffered a crushing home defeat by Sassuolo and was held to a high-scoring draw by Roma at their home ground. Tottenham Hotspur has also been conceding a significant number of away goals. In two out of their last four away games, Spurs have conceded four goals. It is possible that both teams will feel more comfortable when attacking, rather than defending, in this fixture.
UEFA’s recent decision to eliminate the away goals rule may have changed AC Milan’s approach, allowing them to take more risks in the first leg of their clash against Tottenham Hotspur. With the visitors’ first-choice midfield unavailable, Milan will be eager to secure a lead at home before heading to London. This could result in an open, attacking game, with both sides creating opportunities. Despite Tottenham’s defensive struggles, their attack led by Harry Kane should not be underestimated, and we think that both teams will score in this match.
Match Result Prediction
✅ A.C. Milan to win.
Score Prediction
A.C. Milan 2 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur
