The Daily Star Ireland
AC Milan has bounced back strongly in this season’s Champions League, winning their last three matches, including impressive victories over Slovan Bratislava (2-3), Real Madrid at the Bernabéu (1-3), and Club Brugge (3-1), all featuring at least three goals.
However, their campaign started with two losses—1-3 to Liverpool and 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen. As they approach the sixth matchday, the Rossoneri are on an unbeaten run of six matches across all competitions but have yet to break into the top four of Serie A. Milan will aim to continue their good form with upcoming matches against Sassuolo in the Italian Cup and Atalanta in Serie A.
Red Star Belgrade comes into this match with renewed confidence after securing their first Champions League win of the season, a dominant 5-1 victory over Stuttgart. Their morale was further lifted by a 0-2 win over Mladost in their domestic league. With their strong momentum, Red Star will look to keep the good times rolling with matches against TSC Backa Topola and Tekstilac Odzaci in the Serbian championship.
For Milan, key players like Bennacer, Florenzi, and Luka Jovic are expected to be unavailable. Morata, who was suspended for accumulating yellow cards, is now available for selection. French internationals Maignan, Théo Hernandez, and Fofana will be fit for the match, alongside Pulisic (3 goals in the Champions League), Abraham (who scored his first Champions League goal against Slovan), Reijnders (3 goals and 2 assists in Serie A), Okafor, and Chukwueze. However, 17-year-old Avdic and midfielder Peter Olayinka (2 goals, 2 assists) will be sidelined due to injury.
Red Star’s main threat is their top scorer Cherif Ndiaye, who has scored 9 goals in the league. Other key players include Bruno Duarte (5 goals, 2 assists) and Ilic (5 goals, 2 assists), both of whom can challenge Milan’s defense.
Prediction
Crvena Zvezda has never had a goalless draw in their last 31 away Champions League matches, and none of AC Milan’s last 18 second-tier fixtures have ended scoreless, suggesting that goals are likely in this match.
Prediction: AC Milan 2 – 3 Crvena Zvezda
