AC Milan will take on Slavia Praha in the Europa League Round of 16, having knocked out Stade Rennes of the tournament. Indeed, the Rossoneri are looking to make it all the way and will rely on a few ‘experienced’ players, a report claims.
Milan did indeed get a bit lucky with the draw, especially since Bayer Leverkusen were one of the two remaining teams when the Rossoneri were due to get their opportunity. Luckily, it ended up being the Czech side and not the German one, though it will not be easy just for that.
As highlighted by today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (see featured image), the Rossoneri will rely on six players who have won a European trophy in the past. Olivier Giroud is the obvious one, having won the Europa League with Chelsea in 2018-19 and then the Champions League in 2020-21 with the same club.
Christian Pulisic was part of the Chelsea team which won the Champions League, scoring in the first semi-final against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu (1-1 it ended). The second leg ended 2-0 and the American played 30 minutes in the final, helping defend the 1-0 lead against Man City.
Staying with Chelsea, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a protagonist for the Stamford Bridge side on the path to the Europa League win in 2018-19. He scored a hat-trick in the group stage and also in the semi-final against Frankfurt, but got injured just before the final.
The next player is Samuel Chukwueze, who won the Europa League in 2020-21 with Villarreal. They knocked out Arsenal in the process and then beat Man Utd in the final on penalties. Chukwueze missed the latter due to injury but was important prior to that.
Finally, Theo Hernandez and Luka Jovic have a Champions League title each – in 2017-18 and 2021-22 respectively – as reserves for Real Madrid. As Milan look to go further in the Europa League, they will rely on the experiences of all of these players.
