Champions League Preview: Milan vs Feyenoord – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio San Siro sets the stage for the return leg of a closely-fought Champions League knockout playoff tie between Milan and Feyenoord. After a narrow 1-0 defeat in the Netherlands last midweek, the Italian giants must pull off a comeback to reach the round of 16.

Mike Maignan’s rare mistake helped Feyenoord earn a vital 1-0 win in Rotterdam through Igor Paixao. Despite breaking the deadlock in the third minute, the encounter at De Kuip produced the second-lowest total expected goals tally of any game at Europe’s top table this term (1.06).

However, Milan bounced back immediately as former Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez netted a late winner in a 1-0 home win against Serie A minnows Hellas Verona on Saturday. In doing so, he became the third Rossoneri newcomer to score in his first two league games for the club this century.

Gimenez wasn’t at his best on his stomping ground last Wednesday and will look to atone when his ex-employers roll into town later tonight. Unlike Milan, Feyenoord stuttered in their domestic championship over the weekend, sharing the spoils with sub-par NAC Breda in a tepid scoreless away draw.

Though the result was far from what De Stadionclub expected, it marked their second consecutive clean sheet under interim manager Pascal Bosschaart. He was also at the helm in the first leg after replacing Brian Priske at the helm of the Dutch giants on the eve of Milan’s visit.

Match Preview

Milan

Sergio Conceicao’s early tenure has produced mixed results. The Portuguese quickly came under scrutiny despite inspiring Milan to Supercoppa Italiana glory in Saudi Arabia last month. However, he guided the Rossoneri to back-to-back Serie A wins for the first time since September to keep them in contention for a top-four finish.

Bowing out of the Champions League knockout playoffs would undo his side’s domestic resurgence. Yet, Milan must defy history to secure a last-16 berth. Indeed, they failed to progress from five out of six previous Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg. The only exception was the iconic turnaround against Manchester United in 2006/06.

Still, their only win from three previous attempts to beat Feyenoord arrived at the San Siro in 1969/70. Furthermore, they’ve won their last three home outings in the Champions League and could make it four victories on the trot for the first time since December 2007.

The omens look good, considering Milan haven’t lost any of their last 12 home matches across all competitions (W7, D5) during a run stretching back to late October.

Feyenoord

Feyenoord did much of the heavy lifting in the first half. However, the job is only half-done as they bid to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 for the first time in half a century. Worryingly, the visitors’ continental struggles on the road threaten to undermine those ambitions.

Despite only losing once in their four away fixtures in this season’s league phase (W2, D1), Feyenoord’s rotten run of only three wins from their last 17 Champions League away games (D3, L11) speaks volumes. Defying that underwhelming record on Italian soil could be a tall order.

Five defeats from their six previous Champions League away showdowns against Serie A clubs paint a bleak picture for Feyenoord (W1). Ominously, one of those five failures came at Milan in the knockout stages, casting further doubt on the Dutch team’s quest to navigate this tie.

On top of that, Feyenoord head into proceedings amid a woeful five-game winless run on the road, all competitions included (D2, L3).

Team News

Long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi and Emerson Royal are unavailable for selection. The same goes for winter arrival Warren Bondo. Moreover, Alex Jimenez and Riccardo Sottil are not on Milan’s Champions League list. But Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be on the bench after overcoming his knee issue.

On the other hand, Feyenoord will take this trip without Chris-Kevin Nadje, Hwang In-beom, Bart Nieuwkoop, Ramiz Zerrouki, Jordan Lotomba, Justin Bijlow, Quilindschy Hartman, and Gernot Trauner. Quinten Timber’s availability hangs by a thread after he required a substitution in the first leg.

Milan vs Feyenoord Potential Starting Line-ups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Walker, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Felix, Leao; Gimenez.

Feyenoord (4-2-3-1): Wellenreuther; Read, Beelen, Hancko, Smal; Moder, Milambo; Hadj Moussa, Ivanusec, Paixao; Carranza.

Milan vs Feyenoord Prediction

Feyenoord’s substantial injury list makes for bleak reading for the visitors, suggesting Milan could turn this tie on its head despite underperforming in the first leg. Comebacks have been a recurring theme for the Rossoneri under Conceicao, and we expect them to maintain that trend tonight.