AC Milan have Mike Maignan to thank for the fact they are taking a first leg advantage to Naples tomorrow night, and they will need him to be at his best again.
This morning’s edition of Corriere dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) talks about Maignan and more specifically his save from Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s shot towards the end of the first leg which preserved the one-goal lead.
He could well be a protagonist in the return leg too, given that one of the big narratives heading into the game is the return of Victor Osimhen, who has scored 25 goals in 30 matches across Serie A and the Champions League.
It will be up to ‘Magic Mike’ to thwart the Nigerian striker, and he knows Osimhen well as they were part of the same team for a season with Lille. The striker came to Napoli in 2020, with the goalkeeper moving to Milan in 2021.
In France the two often challenged each other in training, a factor which could prove decisive even if the match goes to penalties. Maignan is the leader of Milan on the pitch and in the locker room and he has shown himself to be an elite goalkeeper since his return from injury.
In 18 games this season, Maignan played the ball 730 times at an average of 41 per game, more than many outfield players. His percentage of successful passes is 78.6%, while in those 18 games he conceded 17 goals and made 43 saves (an average of 70.69% of shots saved).
