AC MILAN v NAPOLI: MATCH PREVIEW

A big Tuesday night showdown awaits. AC Milan v Napoli represents an important crossroads for the teams coached by Paulo Fonseca and Antonio Conte, with it being a significant clash in terms of the table and morale. For both sides, it's the final fixture of what has been an intense October, and we’re now introducing it with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The unforeseen postponement of the Bologna match means that the suspensions of Theo Hernández and Tijjani Reijnders will carry over to this midweek game against the Partenopei. In the last few hours, it's been confirmed that Matteo Gabbia will also be unavailable after joining an injury list that already contains Abraham, Bennacer, Florenzi and Jović. It doesn't leave Coach Fonseca with too many options in defence, where Emerson Royal will start. Joining them in the Rossoneri backline will be either Pavlović, Tomori or Thiaw in the centre and Calabria or Terracciano on the left. Fofana and Loftus-Cheek are ready to line up in midfield, while Chukwueze and Okafor are hoping to leave their mark in attack. Camarda is set to be named in the matchday squad once again.

"Napoli are a very strong side, as shown by the table. They're on a good run and will arrive at San Siro with plenty of motivation," said Coach Fonseca on the eve of the game. "We're also strong and improving defensively and in possession: we can fight for the title. The group has trained well, and I have confidence in everyone. I expect an even affair, but we'll have to play as a team."

LATEST FROM NAPOLI
The Partenopei will arrive at San Siro aware that they'll stay top of the table whatever the result. Coached by Antonio Conte, this new-look Napoli side currently sit four points ahead of second-place Inter after an excellent start to the season. After losing away to Hellas Verona on the opening matchday, they've since won seven and drawn one of their last eight league games. The draw came in the only six-pointer they've played so far, against Juventus in Turin. The match against AC Milan represents the start of an important cycle for the Azzurri, who are pretty much at full strength, although there is a doubt about whether Lobotka will be fit enough to play (if he is, it remains to be seen whether he'll get the nod over Gilmour) and Spinazzola is unavailable. Conte will stick with the 4-3-3 he's been using and the pillars of the side, from captain Di Lorenzo (who scored against Lecce) through to Scottish midfielder McTominay and the dangerous Kvaratskhelia. It remains to be seen who will start out of Lukaku and Simeone up front.

Antonio Conte didn't hold a press conference ahead of the game, but Buongiorno was interviewed after Napoli 1-0 Lecce: "We don't have much time and need to recover as much as possible both mentally and physically in order to try and win." Meret added the following: "Perhaps AC Milan have had a few extra days of rest, but that doesn't mean anything. We'll give 100% out on the pitch."

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan and Napoli are set to meet for the 153rd time in Serie A: the Rossoneri have 58 wins to their name compared to the Partenopei's 45, with 49 draws completing the picture. In the last seven meetings, there have been three wins apiece and a single draw.
• Fonseca's team have won four of their last five league matches. In the same period, only Napoli have averaged more points than the Rossoneri (2.67 compared to 2.4). Furthermore, AC Milan have won their last three home matches in Serie A without conceding; they haven't done better in this regard since the period between March and May 2014.
• The two teams will meet on matchday 10 for the tenth time in history. In the most recent of such encounters – in October 2009 and October 2023 – the sides played out two draws (both games finished 2-2). The San Siro showdown pits one of the most prolific teams in the opening 45 minutes (AC Milan with ten goals, the third-best tally) against the side that has scored the most in the second half of play (Napoli with eleven).  
• AC Milan v Napoli will feature the only two players who have scored at least 25 goals and provided more than 20 assists in the last three Serie A seasons, namely Rafael Leão (32+26) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (29+23). In the same period, the Portuguese man (172) and the Georgian (188) are the two players who have completed the most dribbles in the Italian top flight. Furthermore, Leão has four goal involvements in his last five matches against the Partenopei in all competitions.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v NAPOLI
In Italy, the game will be live on DAZN. To watch AC Milan v Napoli from a different country, please consult the 'AC Milan on TV' page. Follow Matchday on Milan TV: live coverage will begin at 20:00 CET until shortly before kick-off, with the game being followed by interviews and Coach Fonseca's press conference. Don't miss out on our coverage via acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App (where the full deferred broadcast will be available in the coming days), our official social media channels and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Andrea Colombo will take charge of the match at San Siro. The 34-year-old has refereed 34 Serie A fixtures, including two involving the Rossoneri (the last one was the derby in April). Colombo will have Berti and Vecchi as his assistants, while Sozza will perform the role of fourth official. Marini, assisted by La Penna, will oversee VAR.

For the one and only time this season, a Serie A matchday is taking place midweek. Matchday 10 will kick off today with three fixtures: Lecce v Hellas Verona and Cagliari v Bologna (both at 18:30 CET) will be followed by AC Milan v Napoli (20:45 CET). On Wednesday, Venezia v Udinese and Empoli v Inter will kick off at 18:30 CET, after which Atalanta v Monza and Juventus v Parma (both at 20:45 CET) are scheduled. On Thursday, the following matches are in store: Genoa v Fiorentina (18:30 CET), Roma v Torino (20:45 CET) and Como v Lazio (20:45 CET).

The current table: Napoli 22; Inter 18; Juventus 17; Fiorentina, Atalanta, Lazio and Udinese 16; AC Milan* and Torino 14; Empoli 11; Roma 10; Bologna*, Como, Cagliari and Hellas Verona 9; Monza and Parma 8; Genoa 6; Venezia and Lecce 5. (* = Bologna and Milan have a game in hand)

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