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AC Milan and Slavia Prague will square off in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie on Thursday (March 7th).
The home side claimed a hard-fought 1-0 away victory over Lazio in Serie A last Friday. Noah Okafor stepped off the bench to score the match-winner with two minutes left in regulation time.
Slavia Prague, meanwhile, shared the spoils in a goalless draw away to Sparta Prague in the Czech Fortuna Liga on Sunday.
The Red and Whites will turn their focus back to the continent and booked their spot at this stage courtesy of their top-spot finish in Group G. AC Milan dropped down from the UEFA Champions League and qualified for the Europa League round-of-16 with a 5-3 aggregate victory over Rennes in the playoff round. A 3-0 home win was followed up by a 3-2 defeat in France.
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
- AC Milan have not won the away leg of a UEFA post-group stage tie since 2017/18.
- This will be Slavia Prague's ninth competitive trip to Italy in UEFA competitions (eight different clubs). They have lost seven and drawn one of the previous eight.
- AC Milan have won seven of their last ten home games across competitions (one loss).
- Slavia Prague's last six knockout games in UEFA club competitions have produced over 3.5 goals and also witnessed goals at both ends.
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague Prediction
AC Milan will face Slavia Prague for the first time in their history. However, they are unbeaten in eight games against their city rivals Sparta Prague, winning six and drawing two. Stefano Pioli's side will also be more rested heading into this tie, having played on Friday, two days before Slavia faced their arch-rivals in a feisty league game.
Slavia Prague have not had good fortunes on their previous trips to Italy. They were, however, dominant in the Europa League group stage and finished top of a group that also included Serie A outfit AS Roma.
AC Milan's victory over Lazio put them hot on the heels of Juventus in the race for second spot and they could translate this confidence onto the continent.
Prediction: AC Milan 2-1 Slavia Prague
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague Betting Tips
Tip 1 - AC Milan to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
