Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Champions League match.
The home game against AC Milan will be Real Madrid's first outing after a heavy defeat to Barcelona (0:4) and the Ballon d'Or ceremony, where Vinicius Júnior missed out on the top prize. Clearly, the Santiago Bernabeu stands will be rallying behind Real Madrid, for whom a win is crucial for morale.
Real Madrid
In their last Champions League outing, Real Madrid stumbled in the first half against Borussia Dortmund but redeemed themselves after the break with five unanswered goals (5:2). The Madrid side registered an impressive 3.55 xG against Borussia Dortmund, with Vinicius Júnior netting a hat-trick. A key factor for team selection will be the return of Rodrygo Goes, as the Brazilian could bring stability to the attack, where Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Júnior have lacked defensive contributions.
AC Milan
Before their victory over Club Brugge (3:1), AC Milan floundered defensively against Liverpool (1:3) and Bayer Leverkusen (0:1). Against these top-tier opponents, they conceded a total of 5.88 xGA — indicating significant defensive issues. Over the weekend, the Italian side narrowly edged past Monza (0:1), even though the Serie A underdogs posed a threat to Mike Maignan's goal with 1.13 xG and 12 shots.
Real Madrid vs AC Milan Prediction
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid have scored eight goals over 180 minutes in the Champions League. The Madrid side are likely to score at least two goals against AC Milan, who aren’t prepared to withstand the reigning champions' offensive pressure.
