The fate of the balls drawn in Nyon saw AC Milan pitted against Napoli, and that sets up three huge games in the scheme of the Rossoneri’s season and also possibly Stefano Pioli’s future.
As Calciomercato.com report, the two Champions League legs will not be the only meetings between Milan and Napoli, because on 2 April Pioli’s side will take the field at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to face the runaway league leaders in the 28th round of Serie A.
Milan’s league form – which has seen a 2-1 defeat against Fiorentina and a 1-1 draw at home against Salernitana – couple with Napoli’s seemingly unstoppable tear means it is a one-sided contest on paper, but beating Tottenham over two legs has lifted the morale of the Italian champions.
Milan are in a fight with the Rome clubs, Inter and Atalanta for a Champions League spot which will have a bearing on their ability to balance the European commitments with the Serie A games around it, and it also ups the ante for Pioli who is under scrutiny.
Milan have an obligation to keep their standards high after winning the last Scudetto and if the league struggles were to continue and the Diavolo were to buckle under the weight of the two legs against the Neapolitans, the season under Pioli would not be judged with fondness.
