In this weekend's Serie A, we might witness a clash that determines the champion race in the first part of the season. The field of San Siro will see the match between AC Milan and Napoli. These two teams, somewhat unlikely, have been the talk of Italy, alongside defending champions Inter Milan and Atalanta. These four lead the race in Serie A after 18 games and it is Napoli and Milan that surprised many. Both clubs were here and there in the past few seasons, but look destined to challenge the title this year. In the preparation for their upcoming clash, here are two bold predictions for AC Milan vs Napoli.
AC Milan v Napoli predictions
Injuries will determine the winner, and it will be Milan
Both teams have had a plethora of issues coming into this game. Listing the players would take ages, as so many of them are absent for Milan and Napoli. The most relevant ones are Oshimen, Koulibaly, Ruiz, and Insigne for Napoli, and Rebic, Leao, and Kjaer out for Milan. The line-ups will be miles away from the strongest ones, so it will be interesting to see what some of the bench guys can do for both teams.
AC Milan probably has the bigger bench and they have less important players out. Kjaer will be replaced by Fikayo Tomori, the former Chelsea man that has impressed some this season. He will be partnered with Alessio Romagnoli, an up-and-coming young center-back who has featured in 16 games in all competitions for the Rossoneri. This will be his 10th start and he has been part of one of the best defenses in the league, conceding just 19 goals.
From the Napoli side, these are some serious omissions. Thankfully for them, they will be getting Piotr Zielinski back, much needed for the stability of the midfield. The four players mentioned above are all impacting different parts of the squad, and it will be a difficult game against Milan. Koulibaly is one of the best center-backs in the world, Oshimen scored nine goals this season before coming down with a shoulder injury, Ruiz forms a strong midfield with Zielinski, and Insigne is one of the veteran leaders of the squad.
It is difficult to see Napoli winning this game with so many omissions, especially in the midfield section. AC Milan has a formidable midfield that boasts the trio of Tonali-Krunic-Kessie. They have been able to contain many teams this season simply due to their ability to keep the ball. According to WhoScored, they are fifth in possession and shots per game. Napoli is better in both metrics, but with a chunk of their team out, it is unlikely that Napoli can control this game. This is completely Milan's game to lose.
Napoli will continue their downward spiral
Against Milan, it is difficult to see Napoli turning their poor run of form around. They started the season with 10 wins in 11 games, but they have just one win in their last six. The good sign for Napoli is that they have generally taken care of lesser opposition, but they have routinely struggled against better teams. Their first loss came against Inter Milan, the first draw was to Roma, and while there was a turnaround with a 4-0 disposing of Lazio, they went in another direction with a draw away to Sassuolo and a heartbreaking loss to Empoli at home.
It is very difficult to say that, after only the first half of the season done, Napoli will be out of the race for the title. However, a loss against a key rival in AC Milan will mean that in their first 18 games, they have a total of one point in four games versus the top five in Italy. Even that point came against Roma, who has had a poor start of the season. Against Atalanta, Inter, and Milan, if they lose of course, they got zero points and that should turn the alarm on in Stadium Diego Armando Maradona.
Of course, it has to be taken into consideration that they have had the most injury issues among this group of teams. Their depth has been tested and coach Luciano Spaletti has been dealing with that the best way his roster allows him to. It can work against lesser opposition, thus it is good news that until the next meeting they have with Milan in March of 2022, they only really have tough games against Juventus and Inter. However, with the injury issues and the overall huge drop of form, even games against the likes of Lazio and Bologna might prove to be too difficult for Napoli.
Overall, the derby between Milan and Napoli will be very interesting to watch. It will be good to see some players that probably would not play if the circumstances are perfect, but it is difficult to escape the thought that Milan will routinely beat their rivals at the San Siro on Sunday.
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