AC Milan vs Napoli
AC Milan can still realistically fight for this year’s Scudetto if they somehow pass this week’s test with flying colors, as they’ll play three total games in the next seven days (two in Serie A and one in Europe).
The Rossoneri, who are fresh from a five-goal thriller against Frosinone, have yet to lose a league match since December, and they will be up against Napoli on Sunday at San Siro for one of the top games on matchday 24.
While AC Milan are in third place, Napoli are four notches below them. However, the Partenopei have picked up positive Serie A 2024 results lately, with the latest one being a 2-1 comeback win over Hellas Verona.
So, something has to give when these two rivals meet once again, and SBOTOP is here for the preview.
Talking Points
AC Milan’s defencive frailties are a concern
Stefano Pioli is no longer in the hot seat, as AC Milan are undefeated in their last eight league matches, but there has been a worrying trend for them that they need to fix immediately if they are to sustain their run.
In each of their last three games, AC Milan have both scored and conceded at least two goals, and they’re in danger of doing it again for the fourth straight match for the first time in their Serie A history.
A key reason why this is so is because Stefano Pioli still has limited options at the back, with Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, and Malick Thiaw sidelined for long spells.
Malick Thiaw has returned to training with the first team recently, but Stefano Pioli will probably not start him against Napoli since he has yet to reach his peak fitness, although he could come off the bench.
With that said, Matteo Gabbia and Simon Kjaer should remain as the team’s starting centre-backs this weekend, and they’ll be joined by full-backs Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria.
Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud will continue to lead the Rossoneri’s frontline. The veteran striker has already scored five goals against Napoli across all competitions, and he needs one more goal or assist this Sunday to notch at least 20 goal involvements for the first time since 2015-16.
Napoli need “Kvaradona” to click
With Nigeria to meet Ivory Coast in the AFCON finals, this means that Victor Osimhen remains unavailable for selection, so the other Napoli forwards have to continue to fill in his shoes.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia needs to remind everyone why he is the reigning Serie A Player of the Year. Yes, he is the team’s third-leading scorer with six goals and four assists, but the Georgian winger has only found the back of the net once so far in 2024.
Kvaraskhelia managed to break his duck by scoring the marginal goal against Hellas Verona, so that should help get things going.
History
AC Milan and Napoli are level in their last 10 Serie A encounters, as both teams have won three times and drawn four times. Prior to this, the Partenopei managed to tally seven wins in their 10 previous league matches against the Rossoneri (D2, L1).
These two sides already met in October, which ended in a 2-2 draw, as Napoli came back from two goals down despite being reduced to 10 men late. Olivier Giroud put AC Milan ahead with his brace before Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori inspired the second-half rally.
If AC Milan and Napoli somehow draw again on Sunday, it’ll be the first time that they’ll be able to do so in consecutive league encounters since 2019-20 (1-1 and 2-2).
During their undefeated run, AC Milan have racked up an average of 2.5 points per game in Serie A (W6, D2), which is slightly fewer than league leaders Inter Milan (2.7) in this span.
Betting Tip
The Serie A 2024 odds are partial to AC Milan’s chances of winning. Stefano Pioli’s side is at 1.99, while Napoli are priced at 3.40, and a draw is at 3.29 odds in the 1X2 market.
AC Milan have recently clicked into gear, so they should be able to get three more points from this contest. However, clean sheets have been elusive for them recently, and such a trend should continue this weekend.
With that said, other than going for an AC Milan victory, you should also consider Total Goal 2-3 at 1.93 or even Total Goal 4-6 at 3.12. If you have the latter as your alternative bet, then why not add Over 2.38 at 3.00 while you’re at it?
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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