Can Osimhen lead Napoli past Milan into historic UCL semi-final spot
Napoli will be boosted by the return of their leading goal-scorer. Can Osimhen lead Napoli past Milan into a historic UEFA Champions League semi-final spot at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium today.
Napoli will start the UEFA Champions League 2nd leg clash vs AC Milan on Tuesday April 18 trailing by a 0-1 aggregate score from the first leg in Milan.
As reflected by the score-line, Napoli did not perform poorly in the 1st-leg, their only undoing was goal-scoring and so the return of Victor Osimhen will be a significant boost in this regard.
The build-up to this game has been dominated by the return of Victor Osimhen.
Napoli`s leading goal-scorer came off the bench in the second half of Saturdays draw against Hellas Verona to mark his return from injury that kept him out both recent matches against AC Milan.
Osimhen was sharp and was unlucky not to grab the winner when his shot hit the bar.
Against Stefano Pioli tutored AC Milan, Osimhen is expected to lead the lines as the Partonopei attempt to reach an historic UEFA Champions League semi-final spot.
Spalletti and Napoli will set-up to attack with the vertical runs from the fit-again Victor Osimhen. With 25 goals in all competitions this season, the 24-year old has proven he can score from every imaginable chance and so the opposition defenders will be cautious.
AC Milan central defence pair Kjaer and Tomori will work their socks out to stop the striker whose combination with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has graced headlines this season.
If he gets the opportunities in the penalty area, Osimhen will score and the job will now rest on how well the Napoli defenders can stop AC Milan from scoring.
Milan will threaten through Rafael Leao on the left, Brahim Diaz on the right while veteran French forward Olivier Giroud will likely sharp the frontline.
SPORTSRATION SAYS
Napoli will start as favourite to win the second leg with the presence of Osimhen. Eyes are fixed on the forward to overturn the deficit and possibly get the winner. His performances this season show this is a very attainable feat.
On the other hand, Milan have scored five goals in their most recent meetings vs Napoli, this brings to fore another question which Osimhen`s presence cannot solve, Can Napoli stop AC Milan from scoring ?
All this questions will have answers by 8pm (Nigerian time) when action gets underway at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples on Tuesday April 18.
PREDICTION
Napoli 2-1 AC Milan Aet ( Napoli win on penalties)
