Two sides in need of a win meet in the Champions League this week as Milan welcome Borussia Dortmund to San Siro.
Milan currently sit 3rd in the Champions League’s Group F with one win, two draws and one loss from four games so far.
It’s been a tough campaign in a difficult group for the Italian side but they’re coming into this game having finally registered their first win of this edition of the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
The win over PSG was a sorely needed one for Milan and it effectively kept their hopes of qualification for the knockout stages alive, but things are far from over yet as they need to take three points here.
They’re entering this game in solid enough form having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five games, the most recent of which was a meek 1-0 win over Fiorentina.
Milan have had their moments this season but are still short of the quality displayed by the side that won the league title two seasons ago despite possessing arguably a greater quality of personnel.
A draw here would still mean they can qualify for the knockout rounds but it would mean they’d have to go to St James’ Park on the final game week and take three points, so a win in front of their own fans is likely a necessity here.
Borussia Dortmund currently sit top of Group F with two wins, one draw and one loss from four games so far.
The Bundesliga side are sitting in a strong position to qualify from this year’s ‘group of death’ as three points from their last two games will see them through to the next round.
Two wins against Newcastle have put them in a favourable position for progression but they're coming into this one amidst a mixed run of form having won three and lost two of their last five games.
This past weekend saw the German side claim an entertaining 4-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach after coming from 0-2 down to take all three points thanks to goals from Marcel Sabitzer, Niclas Füllkrug, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Donyell Malen.
They're quite hit and miss away from home as they enter this one having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five games on the road so there is some vulnerability on their part in that regard.
While they are top of the group they don't have a particularly easy end to the group stage as they face Paris Saint-Germain following this encounter so while they're well placed now things will change very quickly if they fail to win at least one of two very tricky fixtures.
Dortmund are an experienced outfit in this competition, however, and they'll fancy their chances of navigating their way through a tough couple of matches.
For our Milan vs. Dortmund prediction, we're going for a 1-1 draw.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.