Milan-Man Utd to be decided by penalty drama
The second leg of the Europa League's round of 16 concludes on Thursday evening, and there's probably no bigger match at this stage than AC Milan taking on Manchester United at the San Siro. Both clubs could welcome back key performers who were absent from the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford just a week ago, which will only serve to heighten the potential for drama. The first fixture was as keenly contested as the scoreline suggests, and there's little reason to believe that the tie won't go all the way to a penalty shootout to decide the winners. Read our preview here:
Alexis, twist their blood
Though Stefano Pioli's side lost further ground in the race for the Scudetto, he was able to welcome back the key trio of Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Theo Hernández, and Ante Rebić during the slender defeat to rivals Napoli. They will prove to be a big boost to their hopes of qualifying for the quarter finals, but it remains to be seen whether the Croatian attacking midfielder will slot straight back into the starting XI. Elsewhere, Ismaël Bennacer and Zlatan Ibrahimović should both feature in the matchday squad. The former has been out of action for more than a month, and will only be brought on if there is a need to change the emphasis in central midfield. The latter needs little introduction of course, but has been in the news this week for his recall by the Swedish national side, five years after retirement. His presence up top late on would really frighten both Eric Bailly and Harry Maguire, despite their relative strength in the air. The Milanese attack will be unpredictable in its approach, especially with young Belgian winger Alexis Saelemaekers continuing on the right hand side. Just as likely to help out defensively as he is to turn his marker inside out, the Red Devils can expect a tough time down their left flank all evening long.
Monumental Mason
United directly benefitted from Champions League hopefuls West Ham's baffling decision to park the bus in Manchester on Monday, and a Craig Dawson own goal was sufficient to keep Ole Gunnar Solskjær's men the favourites to finish runners-up in the Premier League behind local rivals City. The aura of a trip to Old Trafford being a prerequisite to sitting deep and hoping for the best is largely a concept consigned to oblivion despite David Moyes' best attempts to revive it, but one player who had a positive attacking display was England U21 star Mason Greenwood. The hot prospect has simply not had the output his efforts in a number of roles have warranted this campaign, but his manager will be pleased by his overall contribution to the team. Against Milan, he'll likely be shifted back onto the right of the trio behind a resotred Anthony Martial, and his pace and late runs will be a big cause for concern both on and cutting inside from that wing.
Double pivots pivotal
With both teams set to mostly focus their approach play through the middle, the double pivots in both lineups will be essential in determining the outcome of the game. Doubtlessly, the ones in red and black have a greater natural tendency to join the attack, although they and Pioli will be keen to stem the threat United offer on the counter. It has all the makings of an encounter that will go right to the wire, and Betfair are offering a very generous 13.00 for either side to win it on penalties.
