Higuain to make Milan debut against former club Napoli: Game preview
By Matt Addison
Gonzalo Higuain is set to be a major talking point as Milan kick off their new season at the Stadio San Paolo.
Carlo Ancelotti’s second game as Napoli manager sees him return to one of his many former clubs, AC Milan, with the match kicking off at 8:30 local time, 1:30 p.m. ET, on Saturday.
Napoli won their opening game of the season away at Lazio thanks to Lorenzo Insigne’s goal just prior to the hour mark and will be looking to continue their winning streak.
Milan are yet to play a league game since their first match – along with Sampdoria against Fiorentina – was postponed following the bridge collapse in Genoa.
Key battles
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly will face new Milan signing Gonzalo Higuain, another player who is coming up against a former employer, in what could be a decisive battle.
The 30-year-old forward scored 16 league goals for Juventus last season before making way for Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival, and is Milan’s key threat. He scored 91 times in 146 matches for Napoli between 2013 and 2016.
Pepe Reina could also face his former club having signed for Milan directly from Napoli during the summer.
Fellow goalkeeper David Ospina could make his competitive debut for Napoli having signed from Arsenal, and he will likely have his hands full with Higuain not shy of letting fly from all angles.
In midfield is where the most intriguing clashes lie, though, with several high-profile names and quality players set to compete.
Milan’s Franck Kessie and Lucas Biglia have energy, passing ability and no shortage of endeavour, but will have their work cut out up against Napoli’s Allan, Piotr Zielinski and Marek Hamsik, who are technically superior.
Full-back Ricardo Rodriguez could be a potential out-ball for Milan, while Hakan Calhanoglu’s set-pieces could prove influential.
Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens are Napoli’s likeliest sources of goals having been very effective together last season.
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Previous meetings
Milan have not come out on top in this fixture since December 2014 when Jeremy Menez and Giacomo Bonaventura scored in a 2-0 victory at the San Siro.
Since then, Milan have only managed five goals in seven matches against Napoli, conceding 16 in the process, including Napoli’s 4-0 away win in October 2015.
Last season, Napoli won 2-1 at home, and it was a goalless draw in Milan; it will be the Naples side who go into the game as favourites once again having finished four places above Milan last season.