With a wide-open crisis following their Serie A defeat to Internazionale, Milan enter the field on Thursday, October 19, to face Greece’s AEK for the third round of the Europa League 2017/2018 group stage , the last of the second round. In the stadium San Ciro, in Milan, the duel begins scheduled to 17:05 (Brasília time).
The teams are in Group D, which has the Milanese in the lead with six points earned. The Greeks are followed by four. The third position is Austria Vienna, which has a point. The flashlight is in the hands of Rijeka, who has not yet scored.
Milan’s recent performance
The issue in the Italian red-black is now no longer if coach Vicenzo Montella will be dismissed before the end of the season, but at what time will receive the blue ticket. If his situation was already delicate due to the hesitant beginning in the dispute of the Italian Championship, was made more complicated after the resignation of Carlo Ancellotti, a kind of myth among the fans, for the Bayern of Munich.
With the defeat on Sunday, August 15, for Internazionale, by 3 to 2, Montella started to have its days counted. Not just by defeat, but by the way of acting. Milan was a co-star in the match. He came out at a disadvantage twice and just decided to get the game when he was in this situation. He managed to tie, but in the end he took a penalty goal when there was no time to react.
The lack of courage of the coach has been the target of a number of criticisms. It was expected more of a Milan that after having its share control bought by a Chinese investment group bet heavily on signings.
The significant volume of investment has made the defeats suffered in all the classics he has done so far indicated an early departure from Montella. With 12 points (four wins and four losses), Rubro-negroes completed the eighth round in tenth place with half of Napoli’s leader points.
Even the leadership in the Europa League was not won with convincing performance. In front of the small Rijeka, Milan had a scare in their dominions. Made 2 to 0, yielded the tie and only managed to score all three points with a goal in the final minutes of the final stage.
To try to avoid getting into the line of unemployment insurance, Montella will have to deal with three possible absences for Thursday’s match. Defenders Luca Antonelli (a match in the 2017/2018 Italian Championship without a goal) and Andrea Conti (two matches without a goal) and striker Nicola Kalinic (six matches, two goals) are in the medical department.
The current form of AEK
The situation of AEK is quite different. Not even in Greece is considered a real candidate for the title, but it is doing well both internally and in the continental tournament. In the Europa League, it debuted with a 2-1 victory against Rijeka. Then, at home, tied with Austria Vienna, by 2 to 2. Thus, remained in the fight for one of two places that can lead the team to the knockout phase of the tournament.
In the Superliga, the Greek League drew 1-1 1-0 on Sunday, 15 October, against Xanthi. Although the game was out of control, it turned out to be a bad result. The opponent, who led the way, had one player expelled (Fliskas) in the 10 minutes of the final stage, and another (Svarnas) in the 27th minute. Facing an opponent with two fewer, AEK only managed to equalize in the 43 minutes.
He lost, in this way, the chance to take the isolated leadership of the competition. With 14 points (four wins, two draws and one loss), there is one point less than PAOK. Olympiacos, considered the biggest favorite of the title, appears only in fifth place with 11 points.
History of the bouts between Milan and AEK
The teams had their paths crossed in the 2006/2007 edition of the Champions League. Who played at home won. In Milan, the red-blacks won by 3-0. In Athens, the AEK scored 1 to 0.
PREDICTION: Milan win @ 1.36
