AC Milan kick off their Europa League campaign with a heavyweight clash against Portuguese powerhouse Benfica on Wednesday evening.
In a fixture that would traditionally be part of the Champions League, both clubs find themselves in the second tier of European football after narrowly missing out on qualification last season.
The Serie A outfit have experienced a dream unbeaten start under new manager Ruben Amorim, unbeaten in their opening four games of the season.
Milan are however coming off two successive draws and are desperate to begin their European season with a win.
They take on a Benfica side who are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, and bring a seven-game winning streak into this encounter.
The Portuguese giants have scored 15 goals in their last five outings and bring a considerable threat into the match.
Benfica’s European campaign has already involved several matches because they came through qualifying. They defeated St Gallen 5-0 in the second leg before progressing past Hearts and AGF with impressive aggregate victories.
Who will get their Europa League campaign underway with a valuable three points? Here is our predicted outcome of the highly anticipated clash.
ALSO READ: Liverpool vs Tottenham EFL Cup prediction: Match preview, team news, key stats & h2h
What time does Milan vs Benfica start?
The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at the San Siro
Milan vs Benfica team news
Mike Maignan will start in goal, with Mattia Gabbia returning from injury against Lazio – he is expected to feature in the starting XI as well.
Veteran Luka Modric may have to settle for a place on the bench but he will definitely feature for Amorim’s side here.
Christian Pulisic will also get a place in the starting lineup, as well as new signing Alphajo Cisse in the attacking midfield roles. Goncalo Ramos will lead the Milan attacking line.
As for Benfica, Joao Palhinha and Gianluca Prestianni are both fit and will get a place in the starting XI for the visitors.
No changes are expected from the side that beat Gil Vicente 3-1 at the weekend, with Vangelis Pavlidis the main man in the Benfica attack.
ALSO READ: Kenya wins hosting rights for historic 2029 World Athletics Championships
Milan vs Benfica head-to-head and current form
The clubs have met six times competitively, with Milan winning four and drawing two. Benfica have never beaten the Rossoneri.
Even more significantly, two of those meetings were European Cup finals, with Milan defeated Benfica 2-1 in the 1963 final and then won 1-0 in the 1990 final.
Current form:
Milan – DDWWW
Benfica – WWWWW
Milan vs Benfica previous games
- Milan 0-1 Benfica (July 28, 2019)
- Benfica 1(5) – Milan 1(4) (August 8, 2009)
- Benfica 1-1 Milan (November 28, 2007)
- Milan 2-1 Benfica (September 18, 2007)
- Benfica 0-0 Milan (March 19, 1995)
Milan vs Benfica prediction
The Rossoneri have home advantage which should give them a slight edge in the match, however Benfica’s recent unbeaten run could play a major role in proceedings here.
Milan are the better team on paper but will need to be at their absolute best to contain a high-flying Benfica side.
Prediction – Both teams to score – PLACE YOUR BET FOR THIS GAME HERE!