The thrills of the UEFA Champions League return this week as the eight teams left alive go head-to-head for a place in the semi-finals in a two-legged quarterfinal series.
Undoubtedly, each series has an extra ingredient that makes them truly special. However, some are much more interesting than others because of what they represent and the rivalries between the teams.
One will be between Milan and Napoli, two of the best teams in Serie A in recent seasons. In addition, as the Brackets were drawn, if Inter beats Benfica, we will have an all-Italian semifinal in this edition of the Champions League.
Milan knows what it’s like to beat Napoli recently, as they crushed them as visitors with a 4-0 score, so they come with a lot of confidence for this match. On the other hand, Napoli does not want history to repeat itself and will go for victory at any cost.
When:
Wednesday, April 12 at 03:00 PM ET at the San Siro Stadium
Moneyline odds:
Napoli +155
Milan +187
Draw Offs:
+234
Where Can I Stream?
Why Bet on Milan?
AC Milan is having what would be a second good season in a row. Not only are they fighting for a top-four finish in Serie A, but they have also made it to the Champions League quarterfinals.
While the team is not star-studded like many others, the performance and teamwork demonstrated have been fundamental to Rossoneri’s success.
Milan needs to raise a similar or better game to the one where they beat Napoli 4-0 two weeks ago. In addition, there is the fact that they will be playing at home, which could give them some additional advantage.
Milan is coming off a completely unexpected draw last Friday against Empoli with a 0-0 scoreline. Results like this have been the main problem for Il Diavolo in the Post-World Cup stage of the season. Draws and losses against rivals less capable (on paper) have been regular.
The aforementioned result against the leader could be deemed as an isle in the desert for a team that failed to win all the other matches in its last five and had not scored more than 2 goals in a game since last year. Whatever the case, that result came at the best time and they have to take advantage of a stumbling Napoli.
Why Bet on Napoli?
Napoli, for their part, comes into this match with the firm conviction that what happened two weeks ago was just a slip and that they are still at an exceptional level of play.
However, it is worth noting that Napoli, for the first time this season, has lost two matches in recent days; the Neapolitans lost to two of their rivals in the table in the last five matches played, Lazio and Milan.
Now we can only wait and see if this is a small blip or a sign that the team is losing rhythm at the end of the season.
Napoli came into this match after a 2-1 win over Lecce. In this game, the players seemed lost for most of the 90 minutes, and the goals came are moments when the rivals were better. This is what we can call “champions’ luck”, but that kind of thing doesn’t apply in the maximum European competition unless you are Real Madrid. They have to play well to beat this Milan side.
With Oshimen’s injury, the poor performance of important players, and last weeks’ results, this has been a bad period for Napoli, and it came at the worst time as they are just a couple of matches away from assuring the Serie A title and were tipped to make history in the Champions League.
It’ll be hard, but they have to recover soon.
Final Betting Analysis: Milan vs. Napoli
Milan won 0-4 in the most recent match, played at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium less than two weeks ago. Before that, Napoli defeated them 1-2 in the match played last September 18, 2022. However, it is worth noting that Il Partenopei has claimed victory in their last three visits to the Rossoneri at the San Siro Stadium.
At MyBookie.ag, we can see that there is a Moneyline that favors Napoli at +155, while Milan starts at +187.
While Milan may come into this match with confidence, we expect Napoli to react and give us a show, as they may be going through hardships, but the team that was obliterating everyone this season is still there.
That said, we expect Napoli to take revenge in this Champions League quarterfinal first leg and come away with a 2-1 victory.
Look for a straight win on the Moneyline Napoli. For example, if you put $100 on Napoli at +155, you’ll see a $155 win with a total payout of $255.
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