AC Milan vs Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

Two erstwhile European champions volition clash successful UEFA's second-tier competition, erstwhile AC Milan unfastened their Europa League run against Benfica connected Wednesday evening.

Set to conscionable astatine San Siro, the brace missed retired connected Champions League qualification past season, but they are among the favourites to assistance the trophy successful Frankfurt adjacent spring.

Match preview

Six defeats from their past 10 league games loosened Milan's grip connected Champions League shot past term, sparking a speedy cull of the club's management.

With Max Allegri's 2nd spell abruptly ended aft 1 year, Ruben Amorim was hired to crook things around, and his caller squad are undefeated truthful far.

After victories implicit Torino and Venezia, the Rossoneri person been held to consecutive Serie A draws by Juventus and Lazio - albeit successful precise antithetic circumstances.

First, Juve recovered a precocious leveller to contradict Milan maximum points successful Turin, earlier Amorim's men fought backmost from 2 goals down for a hard-earned gully successful Rome.

Having missed retired wholly past year, the Italian giants tin present instrumentality to continental contention for the archetypal clip since exiting the 2024-25 Champions League successful the knockout circular playoffs.

Meanwhile, Amorim's astir caller acquisition was losing the 2025 Europa League last arsenic Manchester United manager, having antecedently made an interaction astatine the elite level with Sporting Lisbon.

Rather romantically, Milan's league-phase run volition statesman against his aged club, who Amorim represented for 9 years arsenic a player; arsenic a coach, helium mostly got the amended of Benfica portion successful complaint of Sporting.

History besides suggests Benfica could conflict to instrumentality immoderate points home, arsenic they person yet to decision Milan successful six competitory meetings - including 2 European Cup finals, successful 1963 and 1990.

Like the Rossoneri, Portugal's astir palmy nine besides failed to lucifer expectations past season, finishing 3rd successful the Primeira Liga nether Jose Mourinho.

That meant a travel done the Europa League's qualifying rounds for caller brag Marco Silva, whose reign began with a daze nonaccomplishment to St. Gallen.

Benfica recovered to spot disconnected the Swiss broadside with an emphatic 5-0 second-leg win, earlier smashing Hearts 7-2 and AGF 6-2 connected aggregate, taking them into the league phase.

Since then, the Eagles person proved unstoppable connected the home scene, claiming maximum points from their adjacent 4 games portion firing location 12 goals.

Last clip out, a precocious rally turned a imaginable location gully with Gil Vicente into a 3-1 victory, marking their seventh consecutive triumph crossed each competitions.

With assurance entity high, Silva's men indispensable present tackle 2 pugnacious distant fixtures, arsenic a sojourn to Porto volition travel Wednesday's tricky travel to Milan.

AC Milan signifier (all competitions):

Benfica Europa League form:

Benfica signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Amorim whitethorn determine to rotate his squad for this midweek contest, but Milan volition surely enactment up successful his acquainted 3-4-2-1 formation.

The hosts could person a cleanable measure of health, arsenic antiaircraft duo Mattia Gabbia and Mario Gila some overcame insignificant issues to marque the squad against Lazio.

It remains to beryllium seen if 41-year-old Luka Modric is asked to commencement again. The Croatian playmaker has made 156 European appearances but his past extracurricular the Champions League was successful November 2011.

Assuming Goncalo Ramos is not rested, respective candidates are vying to enactment the erstwhile Benfica striker: Alphadjo Cisse, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Omari Hutchinson and Christian Pulisic each anticipation to play.

While Ramos volition purpose to people against his aged club, Benfica's beforehand enactment is present led by Vangelis Pavlidis, who rattled successful six goals passim qualifying.

Furthermore, the prolific striker already has 8 successful the Primeira Liga, and helium boasts a deed complaint of 1 each 2 games successful UEFA competition.

The visitors indispensable question without Alexander Bah, who is inactive sidelined by a enarthrosis injury, truthful either Daniel Banjaqui oregon verstaile skipper Fredrik Aursnes should commencement astatine right-back.

AC Milan imaginable starting lineup:

Maignan; De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Musah, Moreira; Pulisic, Cisse; Ramos

Benfica imaginable starting lineup:

Soares; Aursnes, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl; Palhinha, Barreiro; Silva, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis

We say: AC Milan 2-2 Benfica 

Milan are inactive uncovering their feet nether Amorim, portion Benfica's caller managerial epoch has begun with a glut of goals.

So, the hosts whitethorn person to settee for a location gully connected their instrumentality to European football, leaving the Eagles to alert location with a invaluable point.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.