Milan to conquer Glasgow on matchday one
One of the most enticing groups in the Europa League draw gets underway on Thursday as Stefano Pioli’s Serie A table toppers travel to Celtic Park. The Italian giants have a 100% record so far domestic with four out of four, none more eye-catching than a 2-1 derby victory over Inter last time out, with talismanic figure Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning from injury to score both goals. They had to ride their luck in reaching the group stage, beating Rio Ave 9-8 on penalties in the final qualifying round, in a crazy shootout that saw them a spot kick away from heading out twice. But here they are and they arrive in the United Kingdom as narrow favourites to depart with three points.
Group H
The first placed side in Ligue 1 also reside in Group H in Lille, who take on Sparta Prague, so both sides will be looking for the best possible result in matchday one in order to give themselves a head start towards progression. The Czech team will be the outsiders, however it is often that the team that finishes fourth still has a huge influence on who makes the next round, Sparta are certainly a banana skin.
Key men
It is hard to look further than Ibrahimovic, who recently turned, and has five goals from three outings so far this term. After a brief voyage in MLS, Ibra returned to Europe and to Milan where he has represented both clubs to and took the league by storm with 16 goal involvements in 20 games, to hoist Milan up into contention for a Champions League spot at one point. Accompanied by the pace and precision of the likes of Rafael Leao and Hakan Calhanoglu, and the Swede will be a lot to handle for Shane Duffy who has been operating in the centre of a back three.
Another one to look out for is flying left back Theo Hernandez, the brother of Lucas, who will be a constant threat on the flank. The 23-year-old already has Atletico and Real Madrid on his CV and could be a particularly important cog in forcing back young wideman Jeremie Frimpong, making Neil Lennon’s men’s back three into a five to limit their attacking output. The French-born player scored six and assisted five in Serie A last season and should perform well at Europa League level.
Milan should have too much for the Scottish champions, and carry their league form into European competition.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
Celtic huffed and puffed but Milan had too much offensive quality, 3-1 it finished.