AC Milan will be looking to take a big step towards top four qualification with a win against Napoli at San Siro tonight.
Despite the injury crisis, playing without six potential starters, the Rossoneri did well at Old Trafford in midweek and could perhaps have got more than a draw.
Now, Napoli come to San Siro. In his pre-match press conference, Stefano Pioli shared his thoughts on the big game against Napoli and what needs to be done to win.
He also made it clear that their home record needs to be improved, as the pre-match stats show…
➤ Milan are unbeaten in their last four Serie A matches against Napoli (W1, D3) – they last had a longer run against them in 2011 (six).
➤ Milan last won both season meetings against Napoli in Serie A in the 2010-11 campaign, when they eventually lifted the trophy.
➤ Milan’s last Serie A home win against Napoli was back in December 2014 (2-0 thanks to Menez and Bonaventura’s goals) – since then, they have played out two defeats followed by three draws.
➤ Milan have gained as many as 56 points after 26 Serie A games for the fifth time in the three points for a win era – in the previous four occasions (1995-96, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06) they have always ended the season within the first two places of the table.
➤ Napoli are winless away from home since January 10th, when they won against Udinese (D1 L4). They last had a longer run without a single away win in all competitions in September 2015 (seven).
➤ Following goals from Dalot and Krunic last time out, Milan have now had 15 different scorers in Serie A this season: only Atalanta (16) have had more this term.
➤ No side have conceded fewer Serie A goals in the first half than Milan (nine) and Napoli (10, level with AS Roma) this season: Milan are the only side yet to concede a single goal in the final 15 minutes of the first half.
➤ Only Manuel Locatelli (185) and Jerdy Schouten (179) have made more recoveries than Milan’s Franck Kessie among outfield players in Serie A this season: 178 in 25 appearances, while his average of seven per game is his most in a Serie A campaign.
➤ Lorenzo Insigne has scored the joint-most Serie A goals in 2021 (level with Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Muriel) — the Napoli captain has netted eight goals this year, while he has netted six career goals against AC Milan in Serie A (three at the Meazza).
➤ Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski has been directly involved in 11 Serie A goals this season (six goals, five assists), just one fewer than his current most in a single campaign, recorded back in 2016/17 (12 — five goals and seven assists).
