A Champions League duel in the Europa League. Traditional visitors to the elite continental football tournament, Milan and Arsenal are struggling on Thursday, March 8, for a place in the quarterfinals of this kind of “second division” of the Old Continent. At the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, the match starts at 3pm (Brasília time).
At this stage, the classification for the next phase is defined in round-robin games. Whoever adds the most points advances. In case of draws, goal balance and number of goals scored outside the home serve as tiebreaker criteria. The second clash is scheduled for March 15 in England.
Milan are in their best moment of the season. It was started after the club, which came in its worst sequence in 2017/2018, managed to eliminate Internazionale, its biggest rival, in the Italian Cup. On December 27, after goalless draw in regular time, won by 1 to 0 in the overtime.
Since then, no more lost. There were 13 matches. He won eight and drawn four times. In that period, he reached the right to decide with Juventus the title of the Glass of Italy and surpassed, in the first kills of the Europa League, Ludogorets with victories by 3 to 0 (outside) and 1 to 0 (house).
On Sunday, March 4, he should face the Internazionale again. This time, for the second round of the Italian Championship. The game, however, was delayed after Fiorentina defender David Astori, 31, was found dead in the hotel room where the club concentrated to face Udinese.
Thus, he avoided the wear and had more time of preparation for the classic of this Thursday. An advantage at the moment that can become a problem later, as the Derby della Madonnina edition will have to be included in the schedule.
Arsenal live a very different milieu. He faces his worst moment of the season. On Sunday, March 4, he took 2 to 1 of Brighton, away from home, by the English Championship. It was his fourth consecutive loss.
Completed a series that had two failures by 3 to 0 in classics against Manchester City. The first was in the League Cup decision of England. The second by the Premier League, both played in London.
With that, the hopes of the Arsenal achieving the return to the dispute of the Champions League through the English Championship practically finished. With 45 points (13 wins, six draws and ten losses), he is in sixth place. It has 13 points less than Tottenham, fourth placed, which closes the block of classified for the main club tournament of the Old Continent.
Bad results have prompted protests against veteran French coach Arsene Wenger to resume. In command of the club more than two decades ago, his exit had also been requested at the end of the previous season, but the directive of the gunners decided to renew his contract by another two years.
Thus, it will be up to him to try to modify the scorched earth scenario himself. That could mean team changes for Thursday’s game. Two of them need the approval of the medical department. Defender Nacho Monreal (23 matches in the English League, 2017/2018, four goals) and striker Alexandre Lacazette (26 matches, nine goals) are recovering from injury.
Stopping with defeats should be the main goal of Arsene Wenger. That means the coach should try to put together a stronger defensive system for Thursday’s game, leaving Milan to risk more. The campaign of the club under the command of the technician Gennaro Gattuso does not indicate that the red-blacks will follow this line
Prediction Today: Draw
Odds: 3.5
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