H2H: AC Milan vs Napoli - Prediction (Serie A

Preview and Teams Comparison.

AC Milan have lost three of their last four Serie A (SA) matches, making this the ‘Rossoneri’s’ worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1941/42 (W4, D1, L7). Goalscoring has been an issue, with Milan scoring just 0.92 goals per game and netting more than 1.5 goals only twice (W1, D1). Their defence is hardly proficient, keeping just three cleansheets (25%) and conceding at least twice on six occasions. Both of Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s (MIL) SA goals were game openers at home in the first 30 minutes. Their matches are usually tight however, with nine of their 11 league outings to see a winner producing a single-goal margin of success either way. Five of the last seven have seen over 2.5 goals though, but this hasn’t been the case in recent H2Hs as three of the last four produced less than 2.5 goals, with two ending goalless.

At home in SA, Milan have been leading at half-time just twice this season (HT: W2, D3, L1). Napoli haven’t scored in the last three H2Hs at the San Siro. Twenty-two yellow cards have been shown in Milan’s last three SA matches (7.33 per game).

Napoli aren’t in much better shape, with only two wins in their last nine competitive matches (D6, L1) and none in their last five (D4, L1). All but one of their league games have, however, seen the half-time result mirror the full-time outcome, including all six away games (W2, D2, L2). Dries Mertens (NAP) has scored three of his four league goals before the break, two of which were game openers. Winless in three away SA games (D2, L1), only one of Napoli’s six road games has seen any side win by a margin of more than one goal. Although goals have tended to flow in both halves on their travels, a joint-league high 66.67% of their away games have seen over 1.5 first-half goals.