The Matchday 7 encounter of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League between Milan (Italy) and Girona (Spain) is scheduled for January 22 at the San Siro Stadium. Milan vs. Girona: prediction, betting odds, and statistics.
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)
Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 33;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 25%.
Predicted lineups for Milan vs. Girona
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan – Theo Hernandez, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Emerson Royal – Tijjani Reijnders, Youssouf Fofana – Yunus Musah, Ismael Bennacer, Rafael Leao – Alvaro Morata.
Girona (4-5-1): Paulo Gazzaniga – Daley Blind, Ladislav Krejci, David Lopez, Arnau Martinez – Oriol Romeu, Donny van de Beek, Ivan Martin, Bryan Gil, Viktor Tsygankov – Cristhian Stuani.
Milan
In the previous round, the club defeated Crvena Zvezda 2-1 at home, extending their winning streak in the Champions League to four matches. However, Milan has not kept a clean sheet in their last ten games in this European competition. The Italians have 12 points and are in 12th place in the standings. A victory in the upcoming match will secure their place in the playoffs.
Defenders Malick Thiaw and Alessandro Florenzi, midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and forward Samuel Chukwueze will miss the game due to injuries. Defender Fikayo Tomori is suspended. Notably, Sergio Conceicao was appointed as Milan's new head coach at the end of December.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 7 of their last 10 home matches in the Champions League (6 wins, 1 draw).
- Both opponents scored in the last five home games of the team in this European competition.
- The number "1" appeared in the scoreline at the end of regular time in 7 of Milan's last 9 home matches in the Champions League.
Girona
Michel Sanchez's team lost 0-1 at home to Liverpool in the last round. This defeat marked Girona's fifth loss in this Champions League campaign. Furthermore, they have lost their last three matches without scoring. Nevertheless, the Spaniards, currently in 30th place with three points, still have a chance to reach the playoffs. To achieve this, they need to win the remaining two group stage matches and hope for slip-ups from their rivals.
Defender Miguel Gutierrez and forward Bojan Miovski are sidelined due to injuries.
- The team lost in regular time in their last three away matches in the Champions League.
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 5 of the last 6 meetings of the club in the Champions League.
- No more than two goals were scored in regular time in 3 of the last 4 matches of the Spaniards in this European competition.
Milan vs. Girona: Match Prediction
Recently, Milan has struggled to showcase their full attacking potential even in home games. In their last nine home matches in the Champions League, Milan players have only surpassed one goal on three occasions. Similarly, in Serie A, in 6 of the last 7 home games, the club has not scored more than once. However, their defense has been reliable, conceding a maximum of one goal in 7 of their last 10 home matches in the Champions League.
Girona has not impressed in the top European competition, particularly in attack. In 4 of their 6 matches in this Champions League campaign, they failed to score. Moreover, Michel Sanchez's team is one of only two teams that have not scored away in the group stage. At the same time, Girona's defense has often been solid, conceding more than one goal in only two matches in the current Champions League.
I do not anticipate this to be a high-scoring encounter, so my prediction: Total under 3 goals
