Seeking a fourth Champions League win on the spin, resurgent AC Milan will host Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday evening.
The Serbian champions return to San Siro - having been beaten 4-0 by Inter Milan earlier this season - following a long-awaited victory last time out.
Match preview
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Though Milan lost their first two league-phase matches - to the champions of Germany and the current Premier League leaders - they have since won each of the last three while freely finding the net.
Last month, the Rossoneri followed up an away victory over Real Madrid by seeing off Slovan Bratislava, with a 3-2 win in the Slovakian capital taking them clear of the elimination places.
Head coach Paulo Fonseca then stated his disinclination to settle for a playoff spot - handed to teams placed ninth to 24th after eight matches - and has instead targeted automatic qualification for the last 16.
His team have scored three goals in all of their last three Champions League games - representing Milan's best run in Europe's top club competition for 35 years - with Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders both finding the net more than once.
Enjoying his best form since moving to Italy, a Reijnders brace recently secured maximum points against Empoli in Serie A, and the Dutch midfield dynamo then fired home from outside the box during a resounding 6-1 Coppa Italia success versus Sassuolo.
However, days after booking their place in the cup quarter-finals, Milan then lost 2-1 to local rivals Atalanta BC in the league, ending a seven-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Now 12 points adrift of La Dea, who occupy top spot in the Italian top flight, Fonseca's side will most likely rely on cup competitions in their search for silverware.
Undefeated in six meetings with fellow European Cup winners Red Star to date, Milan may expect to continue in that vein on Wednesday and take one step closer to the knockout phase.
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Of course, the Serbian side will have very different ideas, having produced a stunning reversal of fortunes in last month's home fixture against Stuttgart.
Ending a run of 14 consecutive Champions League games without a win - featuring no fewer than 13 defeats - Crvena Zvezda claimed their first points of the league phase in some style at Belgrade's notorious Marakana.
After their German visitors took an early lead, it seemed that a familiar story would unfold, but the home side then delighted their fans by striking five times, including a late double for Nemanja Radonjic.
Coach Vladan Milojevic finally saw his side translate their domestic form into continental competition, after suffering four losses to start the campaign - notably crumbling in the second half of an October defeat to Inter.
While Red Star held Milan to two draws in their most recent encounter - a Europa League tie in 2021 - they have won only two of 24 UEFA matches against Italian opposition overall, so the odds of improving their dismal road record seem slim.
Having lost all of their last 10 away games in Europe, a return trip to Italy's second city will surely hold some fear for a club that, by contrast, totally dominates Serbia's SuperLiga.
After claiming their seventh straight title last season, they have won all but one of their league games this term, scoring 55 goals and conceding just nine; 6-0 winners on Saturday, when Luka Ilic helped himself to four, Red Star will head for San Siro with five successive victories behind them.
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Team News
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Milan will be missing one of their key players on Wednesday evening, as Christian Pulisic has suffered a calf injury that could keep the American forward sidelined until Christmas.
Pulisic has registered four goals and an assist in his last six European appearances, so Rafael Leao, Alvaro Morata and others will have to pick up the slack. Since the start of last season, Leao tops Milan's charts for Champions League goals and assists combined, shots attempted, dribbles and ball-carry distance.
Often arriving late from midfield, Tijjani Reijnders has found the net seven times across all competitions this term - already equalling his personal best for a single campaign - and he should also feature in the hosts' starting XI.
In addition to Pulisic, Ismael Bennacer, Noah Okafor and Alessandro Florenzi are absent due to injury; Luka Jovic - still struggling with a groin problem in any case - was not registered on Milan's UEFA list.
Meanwhile, Red Star will be without Peter Olayinka (Achilles) and first-choice goalkeeper Omri Glazer (adductor); Ivan Gutesa should deputise for the latter.
Up front, Cherif Ndiaye is Crvena Zvezda's leading scorer in the league this season with 10 goals, while Stuttgart loanee Silas has netted in both of his last two Champions League appearances.
A familiar face to Milan fans will feature in midfield: Rade Krunic played 101 games for the Rossoneri between 2019 and 2024 and was a Scudetto winner with the club.
Should 17-year-old star Andrija Maksimovic be selected again, he will be the youngest player in Champions League history to make five consecutive starts - a record previously held by Vincent Kompany for Anderlecht.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Morata
Red Star Belgrade possible starting lineup:
Gutesa; Mimovic, Spajic, Djiga, Seol; Krunic, Elsnik; Silas, Maksimovic, Milson; Ndiaye
We say: AC Milan 2-0 Red Star Belgrade
After some teething troubles following Paulo Fonseca's appointment - and some fans are still not convinced - Milan have kept a clean sheet in five of their first seven home Serie A games for the first time since 2002.
Red Star's record on the road around Europe is abysmal, and they could experience the familiar taste of Champions League defeat.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
