AC Milan vs Feyenoord prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2025-02-17 17:45.
[p]Seven-time winners of this competition, AC Milan have work to do after losing the first leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout play-off 1-0 to Feyenoord last week. The omens are not good for the Rossoneri, who have failed to progress from five of their six UCL ties when losing the first leg, with the only exception coming back in the 2006/07 semi-final against Manchester United.[/p]
[p]They will be glad of a return to the San Siro where they are unbeaten in any competition as hosts since late October (W7, D5), while they have also won three successive UCL matches there. A fourth would mark their best such run since December 2007, while their only H2H victory from three previous attempts came on their own turf back in 1969/70.[/p]
[p]Feyenoord are bidding to progress to the last 16 of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in 50 years, with their victory in the first leg made all the more impressive by the fact it came under an interim manager. Pascal Bosschaart is set to be at the helm for this trip too, with the Dutch side yet to concede under his leadership after a 0-0 draw with NAC Breda at the weekend.[/p]
[p]Bosschaart is tasked with overturning some rotten UCL away form, as though Feyenoord have lost just once in four such outings this season (W2, D1), they have emerged victorious just three times from their last 17 road games in this competition (D3, L11). A trip to Italy appears unlikely to improve that record as Feyenoord have lost five of their six UCL away games in this country (W1), including a knockout tie against AC Milan![/p]
[p]Players to watch: All eyes are set to be on new Milan striker Santiago Giménez, who has scored in back-to-back Serie A matches since joining the club from Feyenoord, with those strikes arriving in the 75th and 76th minute. The visitors may feel they have a new talisman in Igor Paixão, who opened the scoring inside five minutes for the second time this season when netting decisively in the first leg.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: The first leg produced the second-lowest total expected goals tally of any match in the UCL this season (1.06).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]