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By Tony Attwood
Arsenal play their third game of the interregnum having lost to Watford in a closed game in which those members of the first team who were available played in the first half and then the entire squad was changed for the second so that for the last 45 minutes Arsenal’s team it was made up of under 21st. Watford are 5th in the Championship.
Arsenal’s under-21s are top of their league, but although undefeated there, they actually have six wins and five draws, and the half played against Watford’s first team revealed to all the gap between the under-21 league and the Championship.
The second game was a 3-0 win against Lyon with an additional penalty shoot-out win, which now takes us on to the third game in the series against Milan tomorrow at 2pm. After that, there is one more to go on 17 December against Juventus.
So to look at AC Milan… While Arsenal of course are top of the Premier League five points clear of their nearest rival, AC Milan are second in Serie A eight points behind Napoli. Here’s the table…
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napoli | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 12 | 25 | 41 |
| 2 | AC Milan | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 33 |
| 3 | Juventus | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 31 |
| 4 | Lazio | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 11 | 15 | 30 |
In the Champions League Milan came second in their group, losing twice to Chelsea who are currently eighth in the Premier League.
In their most recent league games from 2 November onward they beat Spezia 2-1 at home, had a goalless draw with Cremonese away, and then beat Fionentina 2-1 on 13 November, the last game before the Interruption.
Last season however Milan were champions in Italy, and here is a comparison between them last season, and Arsenal.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milan | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 69 | 31 | 38 | 86 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 38 | 22 | 3 | 13 | 61 | 48 | 13 | 69 |
This season shows Arsenal ahead as the two clubs are compared.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 11 | 22 | 37 |
| 2 | Milan | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 33 |
Although Milan historically are one of the major clubs in Italy, last season’s league victory was their first for 11 years and only their third in the 21st century. They have also won the Coppa Italia just once this century.
For Milan this is the first of two games against Premier League clubs – the second will be against Liverpool who are currently sixth in the Premier League, 15 points behind Arsenal in first place.
Arsenal have played eight games against AC Milan, winning four, losing two and drawing two.
| Date | Match | Result | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Feb 1995 | Arsenal v AC Milan | D | 0-0 | UEFA Super Cup |
| 8 Feb 1995 | AC Milan v Arsenal | L | 2-0 | UEFA Super Cup |
| 20 Feb 2008 | Arsenal v AC Milan | D | 0-0 | Champions League |
| 4 Mar 2008 | AC Milan v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | Champions League |
| 15 Feb 2012 | AC Milan v Arsenal | L | 4-0 | Champions League |
| 6 Mar 2012 | Arsenal v AC Milan | W | 3-0 | Champions League |
| 8 Mar 2018 | AC Milan v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | Europa League |
| 15 Mar 2018 | Arsenal v AC Milan | W | 3-1 | Europa League |
Meanwhile, the day on which the European Court delivers its verdict on Super League and whether it is lawful or not is now set for 15 December, and we’ll look again at that shortly.
Qatar and the world cup
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