AC Milan will be looking to claim the advantage as they host Slavia Prague in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash. The Rossoneri have done some of their best work at the San Siro lately and should ease to a comfortable victory on Thursday.
AC Milan overcame French side Rennes 5-3 on aggregate in the playoffs to reach the round of 16 of the Europa League. Having claimed a 3-0 victory in the first leg, a 3-2 defeat in France had no adverse effect on their progress.
The Rossoneri have been slightly erratic in recent times with two wins from their last five matches across all competitions. However, one of those wins came last weekend as they defeated Lazio 1-0 thanks to Noah Okafor’s late strike.
One of the hallmarks of AC Milan’s campaign is a solid home record as they have won seven of their last 10 matches at San Siro. Stefano Pioli’s men have also kept clean sheets in two of their last three fixtures in front of their fans.
Slavia Prague did not need the playoff to reach the round of 16 after finishing top of their group. They claimed five wins from six group stage matches, with a 2-0 victory over Serie A side Roma among their results.
The Czech side do not head into Friday’s clash in the best form having picked up just two wins from their last five matches. They were held to a 0-0 draw by Sparta Prague in a domestic fixture last weekend.
Slavia Prague tend to do well on their travels as they are unbeaten in their last nine away matches. However, Jindrich Trpisovsky’s men have picked up just one win in the last four matches in that run.
How the bookies view it
AC Milan have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/20 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Slavia Prague is valued at 11/2 by Betfred while a draw is set at odds of 10/3 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between AC Milan and Slavia Prague.
Players to watch
Rafael Leao scored in both legs against Rennes and could be worth keeping an eye on for AC Milan. The forward now has three goals in the last five matches and is priced at 7/4 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
AC Milan often maintain their defensive discipline at San Siro where they have kept clean sheets in two their last three matches. Alessio Romagnoli has been pivotal in the heart of the backline and can lead the Rossoneri to a similar outcome at 6/5 with 10bet.
Anything else catch the eye?
AC Milan have earned wins to nil in two of their last three home matches and a repeat is priced at 13/8 with bet365. Given the one-sided result in the previous round, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 7/5 with Paddy Power.
AC Milan scored in both halves in their previous home fixture in the Europa League and could be set for a repeat at 7/5 with William Hill.
This UEFA Europa League match between AC Milan and Slavia Prague will be played on Mar 7, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best AC Milan vs Slavia Prague prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
