AC Milan will be looking to finish their Europa League group stage campaign in the best possible way when they face Sparta Praha tonight.
With qualification for the knockout stages already secured, all that needs to be resolved is the order of the top two teams. If Milan win and Lille fail to beat Celtic, the Rossoneri will steal first place.
Below are the best pre-match stats, courtesy of the official website…
➤ Sparta Praha have faced Milan seven times in the principal UEFA competitions, drawing two and losing five. This makes Sparta the team against whom the Rossoneri have played the most without losing a single game in European football.
➤ In Sparta Praha’s previous three home games against Milan in European competitions, only one goal has been scored. It came in the Rossoneri’s win in the second leg of the 1972-72 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final. The last two meetings between the two sides at the Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena both ended in a goalless draw.
➤ Sparta Praha have lost just one of their last 17 Europa League home games in the group stage (11W, 5D), though they have lost both of their last two games against Italian opposition in UEFA competitions (against Milan and Inter). The Czech side have not lost three consecutive games against Italian opposition since 1985.
➤ Including the qualifying rounds, Milan are unbeaten in their last four away games in European competition (2W, 2D) and could extend that streak to five without a loss for the first time since December 2011.
➤ Milan are unbeaten in their last five games against teams from the Czech Republic in UEFA competitions (3W, 2D). The last defeat came against Slovan Liberec in August 2002 in Champions League qualifying.
➤ Samu Castillejo has had a hand in five goals in the Europa League since his Milan debut in 2018 until now (two goals and three assists); no Milan player has had more in that time – he is level with Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
➤ On matchday five against Celtic, Brahim Díaz became the third Milan player to score off the bench in the current Europa League season, only TSG Hoffenheim (five) have had substitutes score.
➤ Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored last time out in the Europa League against Celtic (his fourth in the competition in an Milan shirt) and scored in two consecutive games in this competition for the first time in his career.
