The first leg will take place at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Thursday at 12:55 pm and will be streamed on Paramount+.
These legendary teams first met in the 1957-58 semifinals, with Milan advancing over the two legs as they did again in 1969 at the same stage. Milan advanced over United in the Champions League 2005 knockout round and 2007 semis before falling to the English side in the 2010 Round of 16.
While Milan has advanced in four-of-five matchups against United, the competitive record is even at 5-5 with no draws.
AC Milan Needs Fast Start
AC Milan sits in second place in Serie A, six points behind rivals Internazionale. They didn’t win either game against Red Star Belgrade in the previous Europa League round but advanced with two away goals, one of which was an own goal.
The big question for Milan is if striker, and former Man United star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be able to play in his return to Old Trafford. The Swede injured his abductor on Feb. 28 against Roma and hasn’t played in the two games since. He has scored 15 goals in 20 games this year, with Franck Kessie as the next highest scorer at 10 goals in 33 games.
Another interesting subplot for the Italians is defensive starter Diogo Dalot, who is on loan from Manchester United but allowed to play against the team that pays him. Brahim Diaz and Jens Peter Hauge are Milan’s leading scorers in this competition with three goals each.
United Look to Build Off City Win
Which Manchester United team shows up on Thursday: the one that just beat Premier League leaders Manchester City 2-0 on the road or the one that drew 0-0 in three straight games prior to Sunday’s win? United will likely be without winger Marcus Rashford (ankle), goalkeeper David De Gea (birth of child in Spain), and midfielder Paul Pogba (thigh), while striker Edison Cavani (muscle injury) missed the City win.
Midfielder Bruno Fernandes makes United go, as he has 23 goals plus 12 assists in 41 overall games this season. Rashford has 18 goals and 11 assists and will likely be replaced on the wing by Dan James, who has scored two of his five goals this year in Europe.
Dean Henderson is coming off a clean sheet against Man City and has appeared in 15 games across all competitions this season. He has allowed just nine goals with nine clean sheets and 10 wins. Henderson started both legs of the last round against Real Sociedad with two clean sheets and three saves.
Betting Lines and Pick
The Rossoneri haven’t been to Old Trafford since a 4-0 loss in 2010. Ibrahimovic’s availability is big in this one as he can put pressure on a United defense that has struggled at home.
Fernandes will be the best player on the pitch and can pull the strings, but United needs to find a finisher and avoid giving up the crucial away goal before next week’s return leg in Italy.
Pick: Over 2.5 goals (-124)
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