AC Milan vs Manchester United
AC Milan and Manchester United still have everything to play for when the two European giants collide at San Siro for their Europa League round of 16 second leg.
Milan hold the slight advantage heading into the match after a late away goal earned them a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford. All they need now is to hold United to a goalless draw to make it to the quarter-finals.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils have been brilliant away from home this season, and the Europa League 2021 betting odds back them to beat Milan and move on to the last eight.
Talking Points
Milan getting key players back
AC Milan’s hopes of catching up to rivals Inter in Serie A look all but over after another loss on the weekend saw them drop nine points behind the Nerazzurri.
But there was some good news for Milan as Hakan Calhanoglu, Theo Hernandez, and Ante Rebic all returned from their recent absence in the match.
Meanwhile, there could be even more promising Europa League 2021 news for Milan with key midfielder Ismael Bennacer and star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović both back in training.
Zlatan – Milan’s leading scorer with 14 goals in 14 games this season – has missed the last two weeks due to a thigh injury. His return would be a huge boost to the Rossoneri, even if he can only start as a substitute against his old side.
Despite Zlatan’s absence, Milan still looked like the superior side in the first leg against United at Old Trafford. However, they have surprisingly struggled at San Siro this season. They have lost four of their last seven home games in the league, with just two wins.
Moreover, they are winless in their last four at home and could only draw 1-1 in their round-of-32 second leg against 10-man Crvena Zvezda.
United’s outstanding away form
Manchester United may be out of the Premier League title race, but they still kept up their impressive run of results with a 1-0 win over high-flying West Ham.
The Red Devils are now 13 matches unbeaten in all competitions – six wins and seven draws – and have kept a clean sheet in nine of those matches.
However, they were quite unconvincing going forward against an overly defensive West Ham side. Marcus Rashford returned after missing the first leg against Milan, but Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial, and Paul Pogba were all missing.
Luckily, though, Martial and Cavani are expected to return against Milan, while Pogba could also be set to make his comeback after a month and a half out.
With so many players returning, it remains to be seen whether teenager Amad Diallo — who scored United’s goal in the first leg — will get to feature once again. Regardless of who plays, though, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should have his side well set-up away from home.
The Red Devils have a terrific away record this season and are currently unbeaten in their last 12 away games in all competitions. That includes a 4-0 beatdown of Real Sociedad in their round-of-32 first leg and a 2-0 victory over Manchester City in the derby last week.
History
This will be Manchester United’s first trip back to Milan since their 2010 Champions League round of 16 tie. United won the first leg in Milan 3-2 thanks to a Wayne Rooney brace. And Rooney scored two more goals in the second leg as United ran out 4-0 winners.
That was United’s lone win at San Siro, having lost in their previous four trips. United have gone undefeated in their last five away matches against Italian opposition and have lost just once in their last 11 Europa League away matches (six wins, four draws).
Betting Tip
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AC Milan vs Manchester United | AC Milan Asian Handicap +0.50 @ 1.74 |
| March 19, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have United installed as significant 2.15 favourites to emerge from San Siro victorious. Milan are 3.25 home underdogs, while a draw is similarly priced at 3.30.
As good as United have been away from home, Milan are in a good position to win the tie. The home side have the slight advantage, which means they can sit back a bit more and dare United to break them down.
And as United have shown for most of Solskjaer’s time, they do struggle breaking down teams who sit deep and defend. That is why I see Milan getting the result they need to go through at home, if not a win then a goalless draw at least.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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