If the quarterfinals of the Champions League were played two months ago, we probably wouldn’t have the slightest dilemma about who will advance to the semifinals of the elite competition in the showdown between AC Milan and Napoli, but in the last few weeks, the whole impression has changed suddenly. Luciano Spalletti’s team lost two derbies at home (the first against Lazio 0-1) and the second convincingly (0-4) against tonight’s opponent less than two weeks ago. Napoli’s decline in the quality of the game was followed by the injury of Victor Osimhen, which drastically eased the job of the Rossoneri defense in the previous league match, and there is no doubt that it will be similar tonight at San Siro (10 PM EAT).The absence of the fantastic Nigerian put all the pressure on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The excellent Georgian did not do well in that role, as he finished the previous two matches without Osimhen in the team without a concrete performance – that is, without a goal or an assist. It is clear that Kvaratskhelia is more suited when there is a destroyer like Osimhen at the spearhead of the attack, but tonight he must clearly show that he can make a big difference on the field even when the young Giacomo Raspadori is in the point of attack. The young striker will be in the starting eleven as Osimhen’s reserve, Giovanni Simeone, misses tonight’s match due to injury.The Bernabeu is a mystical stadium and Chelsea are closer to the Championship than to the Champions LeagueOsimhen’s importance for this team is not only reflected in his great numbers – 25 goals in 29 games in all competitions, but primarily because of what the strong and agile goal scorer represents on the field. Without him, Napoli do not have a player who is such a burden for opposing defenders, who absorbs long balls phenomenally, but also someone who burdens the opponent’s first pass with his aggression.All of that will be very important, as was seen in the recent debacle of Spalletti’s team against Milan, although in the first match between these two teams in the current season, despite the defeat (1-2), the Rossoneri showed that they have tactical solutions for the opponent. It seems that Stefano Pioli got into Spalletti’s head at some point, and that he manages to find solutions to outsmart his rival. It is believed that the experienced strategist will remain loyal to the team and the formation that brought the recent 4-0 celebration.🗣️ #TheoHernandez: “I don’t think about #Osimhen’s absence, Napoli are still strong. I dream of staying here and playing Champions League football with AC Milan” pic.twitter.com/rjz7sJbq4a— Milan Posts (@MilanPosts) April 11, 2023 “Trust me when I say it wasn’t a perfect match, there are so many things we can do better in both directions. This is a different competition, it will be a 180-minute challenge. Things change quickly. Maybe Napoli will take different attitudes than in the championship. We will start the match with great confidence, determination, will and the knowledge that we are playing against an opponent who has scored the most goals and achieved the most victories in the Champions League. If we want to continue against a team that is at a high level, we have to achieve two very high-quality games,” said Stefano Pioli.AC Milan will earn over 8,000,000 euros from the ticket sale, which will be the second largest amount, after the round of 16 match with Tottenham, when 9,000,000 poured into the vault. In the past few days, it was announced that the sum of 10,000,000 could be exceeded, but that was not the case. About 75,000 spectators are expected in the stands, and choreography has been prepared for all parts of the San Siro.After the big win in Naples, Milan recorded a goalless draw at home against Empoli last weekend. Pioli can’t count on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Pierre Kalulu, but everyone else is in good physical condition. Everyone else is fully fit, but the mood in the Rossoneri camp in recent days has been spoiled by the story of Rafael Leao’s form and mood, which is connected to the complications in the negotiations regarding the extension of cooperation.##EDITORS_CHOICE##”I never saw him particularly worried. It is clear that we live from results, emotions and feelings, we went through a very difficult period in which things did not go well for us. We did not recognize a certain way of working together on the field and the results took away our calmness. But Rafael is good, we are ready for the end of the season. Everything has yet to be determined and go to one side or the other,” said Pioli.Napoli haven’t had the best of times against Milan this season, but are currently on a three-match winning streak against this opponent at the San Siro, which has never happened before in the history of the two teams. The fact that Giacomo Raspadori is being written off too early is shown by the stat that the young striker scored four out of five goals this season in the Champions League.Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Spalletti insists that his team is able to achieve victories in big games even without Victor Osimhen in the team.”The strength of a team is never just the sum of its different parts, it is the sum of its qualities, which coexist and the way the team works together. Our team has so far shown that it can play regardless of the chosen formation at the start of the match. We got important matches without Osimhen, so I expect the same thing,” said Spalletti.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEQuarter-final, first legTuesdayMan.City – Bayern 3-0 (1-0)/Rodri 27, SIlva 70, Haaland 76/Benfica – Inter 0-2 (0-0)/Barella 51, Lukaku 82 pen/Wednesday22:00: (1.80) Real Madrid (3.60) Chelsea (5.10)22:00: (2.90) Milan (3.10) Napoli (2.80)***odds are subject to change***
