AC MILAN v CRVENA ZVEZDA: MATCH PREVIEW

Aiming to win again to consolidate our position in the Champions League table. A tricky and important clash is in store at 21:00 CET this evening, with the Rossoneri set to face Crvena zvezda at San Siro on matchday six in the Champions League. Here is our Match Preview to introduce the showdown.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
AC Milan come into the game on the back of some fluctuating performances. The Rossoneri suffered a 2-1 Serie A defeat to Atalanta last time out after having thrashed Sassuolo 6-1 in the Coppa Italia. In the Champions League, meanwhile, the Rossoneri displayed character in beating Slovan Bratislava 3-2. Despite a few difficulties, Coach Fonseca’s side have shown that they can compete with the best sides and will also have home advantage against Crvena Zvezda. Pulisic is out, with Loftus-Cheek set to come in to replace him. It remains to be seen who gets the nod down the right flank, but no major changes to the starting line-up are expected.

“We’ll be up against a physical side. They’re good on the counter and have quick attackers,” said Coach Fonseca ahead of the game. “For us, it’ll be a difficult and important match that we have to win. I feel protected by the Club, whose support I’ve always felt.”

LATEST FROM CRVENA ZVEZDA
Crvena zvezda come into the match on the back of a convincing 6-0 league win over Tekstilac Odžaci. The Serbs have been domestic champions since the 2017/18 season and are once again dominating the SuperLiga with a twelve-point lead over their nearest challengers. Milojević’s men lost their opening four Champions League matches against high-calibre sides but, last time out, recorded a surprising 5-1 home victory over Stuttgart. In their 4-2-3-1 formation where the goalkeeper is often rotated, Spajić and Djiga form a strong centre-back pairing, while former Rossonero Krunić can be found in midfield. Ndiaye, Ilic and Silas pose a threat in attack.

Vladan Milojević spoke on the eve of the game: “We will remember this moment for quite a few years: we played against the famous AC Milan: they’re a phenomenal side and Fonseca is a brilliant Coach. Their performance in the Champions League show that they’re capable of getting great results”.

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• In six previous meetings with Crvena zvezda in Europe, AC Milan have never lost (W2, D4). If qualifying matches are included, the Rossoneri have only done better against Sparta Praha at European level (no defeats in eight encounters).  
• AC Milan have won their last three Champions League matches, more than in their previous eleven games put together (W2, D3, L6). The Rossoneri haven’t recorded four consecutive victories in Europe’s elite competition since the period between February and April 2005 (five back then).
• AC Milan have scored three goals in each of their last three Champions League matches, their best run in Europe’s elite competition since the period between April and September 1989 (the European Cup back then). The Diavolo have never scored at least three goals in four successive games in the European Cup/Champions League.
• Since the start of last season, Rafael Leão is the AC Milan player leading the way in the main European competitions when it comes to number of goal contributions (five goals, four assists), attempted shots (36), dribbles (93) and distance covered with the ball (3,377 m). The Portuguese man could score in consecutive Champions League appearances for the very first time.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v CRVENA ZVEZDA
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by Sky and NOW. To watch it in another country, you can check the "Where to Watch Milan on TV" section under "Abroad." On the Rossoneri channels, the Matchday show will air on Milan TV: live coverage starts at 20:00 leading up to kick-off, followed by interviews and Coach Fonseca's press conference. Don't miss the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, our official social media channels, and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Jesús Gil Manzano will be the referee for the game. The Spaniard has refereed a match involving the Rossoneri on five previous occasions, from Rio Ave 2-2 AC Milan (8-9 on pens) in the preliminary stages of the 2020/21 UEL through to AC Milan 2-1 PSG during the group stage of the 2023/24 UCL and, notably, AC Milan 1-1 Crvena zvezda in the round of 32 of the Europa League in February 2021 (a result which secured the Rossoneri’s spot in the round of 16). Diego Barbero and Ángel Nevado will be the match assistants, while Francisco José Hernández Maeso will perform the role of fourth official. César Soto Grado, assisted by Benjamin Brand, will be in charge of VAR.

Matchday 6 is taking place over two evenings. On Tuesday, there were two 18:45 CET kick-offs - Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic and Girona 0-1 Liverpool - while the following games took place at 21:00 CET: Atalanta 2-3 Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Inter, Brest 1-0 PSV, Club Brugge 2-1 Sporting Lisbon, Leipzig 2-3 Aston Villa, Salzburg 0-3 PSG and Shakhtar Donetsk 1-5 Bayern Munich. On Wednesday, Atlético Madrid v Slovan Bratislava and Lille v Sturm Graz will be played at 18:45 CET, after which these fixtures are scheduled for 21:00 CET: Arsenal v Monaco, Benfica v Bologna, Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona, Feyenoord v Sparta Praha, Juventus v Manchester City, AC Milan v Crvena zvezda and Stuttgart v Young Boys.

Standings: Liverpool 18; Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Brest and Inter 13; Barcelona*, Borussia Dortmund* and Bayern Munich 12; Atalanta 11; Arsenal*, Monaco*, Sporting CP, Club Brugge and Lille* 10; Benfica*, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid*, Celtic and AC Milan* 9; Manchester City*, PSV,  Dinamo Zagreb, Juventus* 8; Feyenoord* and PSG 7; Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart and Sparta Praha* 4; Sturm Graz*, Girona, Crvena zvezda* and Salzburg 3; Bologna* 1; Lipsia, Slovan Bratislava* and Young Boys 0. (* = game in hand)

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