AC Milan welcome Lille at San Siro in Group H encounter of the UEFA Europa League 2020-21. Both sides are placed on the first two spots in the group, and three points will fancy their chances for the knock out stage.
Match Timings: Nov 06, 1:30 AM
Team Preview
AC Milan is in brilliant form this season and would aim to get three points on Thursday to retain the top spot in Group H. The Italian giants kicked off their Europa League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Celtic, followed by a 3-0 win over Sparta Prague. Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t score a single goal in both wins, but Milan finished high in the table. In Serie A, they were held to a 3-3 draw with Roma and edged past Udinese 2-1 in the next outing, thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 83rd minute late winner. With 16 points, Milan has secured the top spot in Serie A 2020-21, 2 points difference to former champion Juventus.
Meanwhile, Lille has drawn their last three matches in all competitions; the most recent was a 2-2 draw with Celtic in Europa League. Christophe Galtier's men were almost on a losing side after double first-half strikes from Celtic, but Zeki Celik and Jonathan Ikone scored in the gap of nine minutes to avoid a defeat for Les Dogues. In a previous Ligue 1 fixture, they held Lyon to a 1-1 draw. Marcelo saw a red card to leave Lyon with 10 men, but Lille couldn’t grab the second half. Lille picked up 19 points from nine games in Ligue 1 2020-21, and they occupy the 2nd spot, just 2 points behind PSG.
The French club has beaten Milan once in the 2006-07 Champions League, but Thursday’s task would not be the same. It is the only defeat for Milan in the last 15 home games in all European competitions. However, Lille has lost each of their last three matches against the Italian clubs.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
AC Milan
Lineup: Donnarumma; Dalot, Kjaer, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Kessie, Tonali; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Rebic; Ibrahimovic
Current Form: W W W D W W
Lille
Lineup: Maignan; Celik, Soumaoro, Botman, Bradaric; Ikone, Soumare, Andre, Bamba; David, Yazici
Current Form: W W W D D D
Key Players
AC Milan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
7 goals in Serie A 2020-21
Franck Kessie
2 goals in Serie A 2020-21
Lille
Yazici
3 goals in Europa League 2020-21
Zeki Celik
1 goal in Ligue 1 2020-21
1 goal in Europa League 2020-21