AC MILAN v NAPOLI: MATCH PREVIEW

It's matchday again. After four meetings across Serie A and the Champions League in 2023, AC Milan and Napoli are ready to face each other for the first time in 2024. The game will be played at San Siro, where the Rossoneri haven't beaten the Partenopei in Serie A since December 2014. It's a great opportunity to break this hoodoo, particularly as the Diavolo are unbeaten in eight (W6, D2) and haven't lost on home soil for more than three months. The signs are encouraging for Coach Pioli's men, who want to continue this positive run of form ahead of their return to European action. Here is everything you need to know before tonight's 20:45 CET kick-off, which will see us wear our new Fourth Kit, created in collaboration with PLEASURES.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
After their thrilling comeback victory in Frosinone, the team have had a full week to work on the training ground and, as Coach Pioli pointed out in his pre-match press conference, are doing well "mentally and physically". For the first time this season, the Rossoneri will have to make do without Reijnders (he's suspended), who will presumably be replaced by Bennacer. The Algerian was a key figure during the closing stages away to Frosinone and is now ready to take to the pitch as a starter. Aside from that, the Coach will likely stick with the choices he's made for the team's last few outings. It'll be a special evening for Stefano Pioli, who is set to draw level with Arrigo Sacchi by taking charge of his 220th AC Milan match, and a memorable night also awaits 18-year-old Primavera player Victor Ehuwa, who will be included in the matchday squad. Malick Thiaw has returned to group training in the past few days but, as confirmed by our coach, won't be available this evening. He should, however, be in the squad for the home game against Rennes. The other absentees are Caldara, Kalulu, Pobega and Tomori, all of whom are injured, as well as Chukwueze, who is hoping to play for Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations final at 21:00 CET this evening.

This is what the Coach had to say on the eve of AC Milan v Napoli: "We're doing well, and the free week has allowed us to work and recover. Napoli possess real quality and have excellent statistics, especially in attack. Under Mazzarri, they've made tactical changes. I'm proud to draw level with Sacchi in terms of number of games in charge of AC Milan. This match is too important, so we'll only think about Rennes afterwards".

LATEST FROM NAPOLI
Walter Mazzarri's side come into the match on the back of a home victory over Hellas Verona and a three-game unbeaten run in Serie A, while they also recently reached the Supercoppa Italiana final (where they fell to a late defeat). The reigning Italian champions are currently four points adrift of the Champions League places and trail AC Milan by 14 points (with a game in hand). Mazzarri, who didn't hold a pre-match press conference, will still be without Osimhen, who, like our No.21, is away on international duty with Nigeria. Both Meret and Olivera are available again, but likely to be named on the bench. Gollini is set to remain between the sticks, but, given Mario Rui's suspension down the left, the Partenopei could line up in a 3-5-1-1 formation at San Siro as opposed to the 4-3-3 that was deployed at home to Hellas. Kvaratskhelia and Simeone would then probably be the attacking duo, with the likes of Lindstrøm, Ngonge, Politano and Raspadori ready to come on. Napoli haven't won or scored on the road since beating Atalanta in Bergamo on 25 November (four away games without a victory).

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan have picked up 49 points from 23 matches in the league so far; since the start of the three points-per-win era (from 1994/95), only twice have they had a bigger tally at this stage of a Serie A campaign: 58 in 2003/04 and 50 in 1995/96. In both of these seasons, the Rossoneri won on matchday 24.
• Since joining AC Milan, Napoli are the team Olivier Giroud has had the most scoring success against in all competitions: five goals. Four of these arrived at the Maradona, with the other one coming when the teams last met in the league at San Siro in September 2022.
• AC Milan are the team that have scored the most goals through substitutes this campaign (ten). In the last 20 Serie A seasons (from 2004/05), only twice have the Rossoneri netted more through such players across an entire campaign: twelve in 2010/11 and eleven in 2011/12.
• Stefano Pioli has come up against Walter Mazzarri twelve times as a coach in Serie A, losing just twice (W6, D4).

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN ON TV
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch AC Milan v Napoli in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 19:45 CET and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. From 20:40 CET, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Daniele Doveri will be in charge of the game at San Siro. An experienced official, he has previously refereed 29 matches involving the Rossoneri - the last one was AC Milan’s 2-2 draw against Salernitana on 22 December 2023 - and 30 Napoli fixtures. Doveri has already been in the man in the middle for two Serie A meetings between AC Milan and Napoli: they finished in a Partenopei win (2-1 in Naples on 18 November 2017) and a draw (0-0 at San Siro on 26 January 2019).

Matchday 24 in Serie A kicked off on Friday evening with Salernitana 1-3 Empoli and continued yesterday with Cagliari 1-3 Lazio, Roma 2-4 Inter and Sassuolo 1-1 Torino. Sunday started with Fiorentina 5-1 Frosinone, while Bologna v Lecce and Monza v Hellas Verona are both scheduled for 15:00 CET. Genoa v Atalanta will take place at 18:00 CET, and then it'll be time for AC Milan v Napoli at 20:45 CET. At 20:45 CET on Monday, Juventus v Udinese will bring the latest round of fixtures to an end.

This is the current league table: Inter 60; Juventus 53; AC Milan 49; Atalanta* 39; Roma° 38; Fiorentina and Lazio 37; Bologna* 36; Napoli* 35; Torino 33; Genoa and Monza 29; Lecce 24; Frosinone° 23; Sassuolo 20; Udinese 19; Hellas Verona, Cagliari° and Empoli° 18; Salernitana° 13. (* = one game in hand; ° = one more game played)

The 2023/24 AC Milan Fourth Kit is available: buy it now!