Champions League: A Big Moment for Milan

AC Milan vs Paris Saint-Germain

Champions League action is back on our screens this week and there’s a blockbuster clash at the San Siro where AC Milan host Paris Saint-Germain in a Group F shootout.

This could be the point of no return for I Rossoneri, who sit bottom of the group with just two points as the only side yet to register a victory, while PSG are on track to reach the knockout phase, leading Group F by six. The Champions League 2023 betting odds rate Luis Enrique’s PSG as the sixth favourites to win the tournament, at odds of 15.00, while after a slow start to the campaign, Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan have drifted out to 81.00.

PSG won the return match 3-0 as Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring and he’ll be a huge threat again on Tuesday, but Milan need to find a way of staying in the competition, and that means picking up at least a point when the Parisiens come to town. If I Rossoneri can fashion a victory they will blow the group wide open.

It could be a huge night in Milan.    

Talking Points

Milan’s mini-slump  

Rossoneri head coach Pioli has work to do. His team has just gone four games without a win after falling at home to Udinese on Saturday, and he acknowledged after the game that the home fans had every right to make their frustration known, which they did in no uncertain terms.

Despite having 72 per cent possession, the hosts managed to lose to a side that had failed to win a Serie A game before rocking up in Milan. On the back of defeats to Juventus and PSG, I Rossoneri surrendered a two-goal lead to draw with Napoli, but this defeat was a new low.

Milan’s flair players, Rafael Leao, Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders both struggled to sparkle, and Pioli will hope they are back to their best against Paris. The Milan boss is under no illusions what is required from his team on Tuesday: “We know there is only one result we can afford and we need a great game in every area, technical, tactical and physical. After a disappointment like this, perhaps it’s better to prepare for a fixture like that.”

Udinese to Paris is about as far as you can get in terms of riches and Pioli knows if his players don’t improve, they will lose to PSG. He has new injury worries as Theo Hernandez was ruled out for the Udinese game and midfielder Rad Krunic limped off during the defeat. But there was better news for utility man Ruben Loftus Cheek who made a substitute appearance after being sidelined for a month.        

After BVB made a slow start to their Champions League campaign they hit back with a win away to Newcastle last time out, and that result left Milan stranded at the bottom. But it did open up second place and Pioli and his team now need a quick uptick in Champions League 2023 results to take advantage.   

Three and easy for Paris

While Milan can’t buy a victory at the moment, the Parisiens have been winning for fun, beating Montpellier 3-0 on Friday night to go top of the Ligue 1 table. It was PSG’s fifth win on the run, and they have scored three goals in each game since their 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United early in October.

Kylian Mbappe seems happier now that Neymar and Lionel Messi have left the club, and though he had a rare quiet day against Montpellier, he leads the race for the French Golden Boot with ten goals. Alongside Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele, he forms a front three for the national team, and Les Bleus will continue to benefit from their growing relationship at club level.

Dembele has made a big impact since arriving from Barcelona, and the 26-year-old has helped to build team spirit at the club, which has been divided for so long. He has an explosive pace on the pitch but an inner calm that looks like it might just be rubbing off on Mbappe.

PSG are at odds of 1.63 to win the group, and if they avoid defeat at the San Siro, they will inch a little closer to the knockout phase.

History

The Parisiens are streets ahead in Ligue 1, in terms of recent success and resource, winning 11 league titles and nine of the last ten, but they are yet to break through in Europe, losing the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.

Milan have a much richer history in Europe, as well as winning 19 Serie A titles, the last in 2022, I Rossoneri have won seven Champions Leagues (or European Cups). 

Betting Tip

At SBOTOP odds of 2.69 to win, AC Milan are the outsiders in this match, with the Parisiens at 2.18 and the draw at 3.55.

The visitors are in better form, but I expect Pioli to get a response from his players after the shock loss to Udinese, and as Newcastle have proved, PSG can be beaten.

 

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