AC MILAN v DINAMO ZAGREB: FUN FACTS | OneFootball

The Champions League returns to San Siro for the second game in Group E, with kick-off scheduled for 18.45 CEST. The Rossoneri, after their draw with FC Salzburg, will be looking to get their first win in this season's top European tournament against group leaders Dynamo Zagreb. Here are some statistics and curious facts on the eve of the game:

AC MILAN VICTORIOUS This will be the fifth time AC Milan and Dynamo Zagreb have met in a European competition, with the Italian side winning the previous 4. The last meeting between the two sides was in the 2000/01 Champions League preliminary round, in which the Rossoneri won both legs.

THE ROSSONERI AGAINST CROATIAN SIDES After winning the first five games against Croatian sides in European competitions, AC Milan were shocked last time out being defeated 2-0 by HNK Rijeka in the Europa League in December 2017. The loss was away from home though, with the Rossoneri having won all three games at San Siro against clubs from Croatia.

A BELGIAN SLALOM After his excellent performance against FC Salzburg, Alexis Saelemaekers was the star man on the night making five successful dribbles, as well as grabbing the equaliser. Only Vinícius Júnior (six against Celtic) and Ousmane Dembélé (six against Viktoria Plzeň) collected more than the Belgian after the first round of matches in the Champions League.

SAN SIRO CURSE Beaten by Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, and held to a draw by Porto in last season's competition, AC Milan have not won any of their last six Champions League home matches, drawing three and losing three. It is the Diavolo's longest streak without a win in the competition. Their last victory at San Siro in the Champions League dates back to September 2013 in a 2-0 win over Celtic.

VICTORY IS IMPERATIVE Coach Pioli and the squad need the win to get that monkey off their back and forget the difficult return in last season's competition. In the current group-stage format, in place since 2003/04, the only season where AC Milan did not win any of their opening two games was last year's (two defeats in two games).

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