AC MILAN V NAPOLI: DUELS

AC Milan v Napoli, a night that will see two high-flyers face each other at San Siro. The Rossoneri will be looking to return to winning ways after drawing in Udine and, in doing so, remain hot on the heels of Inter and put further distance between themselves and the Partenopei. The upcoming matchday 18 showdown will involve various individual duels that could decide the game’s outcome. These are the ones to watch out for:

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ V DRIES MERTENS
Ibrahimović is set to make his third consecutive start, with Rebić, Giroud (on the road to recovery), Leão and Pellegri having been unavailable. However, Zlatan has continued to make a significant contribution, helping the team navigate their way through these injury problems: from Roma to Udinese, he’s scored five goals since the end of October. Against Napoli, Ibra has netted four times in his last five appearances, including a brace at the San Paolo in November 2020. Out of all the players who have scored at least seven goals during the current Serie A season, the Swede has the best minutes-per-goal ratio (88 minutes per goal). Meanwhile, the striker in Napoli’s 4-2-3-1 formation will be Mertens, who, in the absence of Osimhen, has made a big difference, racking up very similar numbers to Ibra: the Belgian netted five goals in the space of a month, thus drawing level with Osimhen and Fabián Ruiz as the Azzurri’s top goalscorer. Quality and experience, exactly what is needed for games like these.

FRANCK KESSIE V ANDRÉ-FRANK ZAMBO ANGUISSA
The Rossoneri are still hoping to see Kessie reach the heights that he did during the 2020/21 campaign, while the Azzurri are enjoying the revelation that is Anguissa in 2021/22. They’re both key midfielders for their respective coaches, combining strength with substance. The two Africans also share similar characteristics. The Ivorian will be looking to gain a bit of personal revenge on the Cameroonian: the Ivory Coast’s defeat to Cameroon on the final matchday in World Cup qualifying saw the latter progress at the former’s expense, with both players on the pitch that day. At San Siro, they’ll once again come up against each other, ready to fight for every ball. In this regard, Anguissa will have to be careful: he’s the player who has committed the most fouls (21, along with Osimhen) and received the most bookings (four, the same as Mário Rui) in the Napoli ranks.

ALEXIS SAELEMAEKERS V LORENZO INSIGNE
With 17 appearances to his name, Saelemaekers (along with Tonali) is the Rossonero who has played the most league matches so far this season. A precious resource with a great spirit of sacrifice, and much more than that too. In 2021/22, he’s made 335 passes in the opposition half of the pitch, with no AC Milan player having produced more. He’s gained in confidence recently and found the net against Salernitana in the Rossoneri’s last home game in the league. Insigne, meanwhile, is a key figure for Napoli. He’s the Partenopei man with the most assists (five) and attempted dribbles (43), even if he’s been substituted on the most occasions (12). So far, only Fiorentina’s Vlahović (59) has attempted more shots than Insigne (53) in the league. The Napoli captain is also second when it comes to shot involvements (85), behind Sampdoria’s Candreva (89). He’s scored six times against the Diavolo and, while he’s followed a personalised training plan during the week, he will grit his teeth and must be marked tightly. Very different attacking wingers but both able to make a decisive impact.

ALESSANDRO FLORENZI V GIOVANNI DI LORENZO
Two full-backs who know each other well and were involved in Italy’s 2021 European Championship triumph. Di Lorenzo managed to get the upper hand in the summer, but now both are set to take to the pitch. They’ll line up on the respective right flanks, defending, attacking and, above all, doing a lot of running. Florenzi is giving Pioli the answers he wants to see and used to play for Spalletti at Roma, a spell which saw him score three goals in 24 matches in Serie A. In general, he’s provided three assists in twelve fixtures against Napoli. Di Lorenzo is the Azzurri player who has made the most interceptions (21) this season and, also taking into account Europa League matches, currently has a goal and three assists to his name. From teammates to opponents.

The PUMA AC Milan jerseys for the 2021/22 season are available: buy them now!