AC Milan vs Club Brugge Preview, Prediction, Team News, and Lineups | UEFA Champions League, October 22, 2024

AC Milan vs Club Brugge Preview

Tournament: UEFA Champions League

Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Time: 4:45 pm GMT

Venue: San Siro, Milan

AC Milan are set to host Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League league stage on Tuesday, October 22. It is only the third match for both sides in the competition this season but it is a crucial one for the Italian giants.

Milan have lost both of their opening games in the tournament this season. They first lost 3-1 against Liverpool at San Siro before losing 1-0 against Bayer Leverkusen at the Bayer Arena. With 0 points and a -3 goal difference, the Rossoneri sit 32^nd in the table.

Meanwhile, Club Brugge are 21^st in the table with 3 points and a -2 goal difference. They lost 3-0 against Borussia Dortmund at home in their opening game. They then beat SK Sturm Graz 1-0 away from home. Both sides will look to at least get into the playoffs for the knockout rounds and hence, will need the three points on Tuesday.

AC Milan Team News

The Rossoneri have four players out injured. Alessandro Florenzi is expected to return in February next year as he recovers from an ACL injury. Davide Calabria and Ismael Bennacer are expected to return later this year while Marco Sportiello is also a doubt for the clash.

Club Brugge Team News

Club Brugge, meanwhile, have Andreas Skov Olsen, Bjorn Meijer, and Gustaf Nilsson out due to injuries. The latter two could potentially feature against Milan.

Predicted Lineups

AC Milan predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan

Defenders: Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, Emerson Royal

Midfielders: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders

Attackers: Rafael Leao, Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic

Club Brugge predicted lineup (4-1-4-1):

Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet

Defenders: Maxim De Cuyper, Brandon Mechele, Joel Ordonez, Joaquin Seys

Midfielders: Raphael Onyedika, Hans Vanaken, Ardon Jashari

Attackers: Christos Tzolis, Ferran Jutgla, Michal Skoras

Also Read: Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Champions League, October 22, 2024

AC Milan vs Club Brugge H2H Record

In their four previous Champions League matches, AC Milan have won twice, Club Brugge have won once and one match ended in a draw.

Last 5 results:

Club Brugge 0-1 AC Milan – UEFA Champions League Group Stage – November 5, 2003

AC Milan 0-1 Club Brugge – UEFA Champions League Group Stage – October 23, 2003

Club Brugge 0-1 AC Milan – UEFA Champions League Second Round Second leg – November 8, 1990

AC Milan 0-0 Club Brugge – UEFA Champions League Second Round First leg – October 25, 1990

Key Players to watch in AC Milan vs Club Brugge

Rafael Leao

Rafael Leao is always a player to watch for AC Milan but especially this season, considering he’s come under some criticism. He has faced criticism for an apparent lack of consistency and impact in big games.

Leao has scored just one goal and provided four assists in nine games across competitions for Milan this season and none in the Champions League. However, he recently provided a sensational assist in Portugal’s win over Poland and will look to take that form into the match against Club Brugge.

Hans Vanaken

With their top goalscorer Andreas Skov Olsen and top assist provider Gustaf Nilsson potentially out for the clash, Club Brugge will look towards Hans Vanaken to provide some attacking flair.

Vanaken is the captain of the side and is second on both the goalscoring charts and the assists chart for the club with four goals and two assists. He joined the club in 2015 from KSC Lokeren and has registered 131 goals and 94 assists in 463 games since then.

AC Milan vs Club Brugge Prediction

AC Milan have had a terrible start to their UEFA Champions League campaign. They faced two tough teams in Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen but would be disappointed to not even take a single point.

They are fourth in the Serie A table and have won three and lost of their last five games across competitions. They ended a run of two defeats with a win over Torino on Saturday (October 19). Club Brugge, meanwhile, beat Westerlo 2-1 in the league. They are unbeaten in their last four games across competitions, winning two and drawing two.

Club Brugge have shown some form but could be missing some key players. Milan, meanwhile, will be determined to finally get points on board in the Champions League and they can be expected to do so as well.

Predicted Score: AC Milan 3-0 Club Brugge

Also Read: PSG vs PSV Prediction, Preview, Lineups and Team News | Champions League, October 22, 2024

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