Ludogorets – Milan
Bulgaria’s champion Ludogorets hosts AC Milan in a match from the 1/16-finals of the Europa League. The first leg between these two sides will be held at the Ludogorets Arena in the city of Razgrad.
Ludogorets qualified for the 1/16-finals of the Europa League by finishing second in a group with Sporting Braga, Istanbul Basaksehir and Hoffenheim. In Group C of the competition the Bulgarians won 9 points and had a record of 2 wins, 3 draws and just one loss. They finished with just one point more than Istanbul Basaksehir, but it was enough for them to win the second place.
Ludogorets are a club which usually performs strong in Europe. They have a talented squad, filled with classy and expensive foreign players. This is why they dominate the Bulgarian league with ease, winning the title every year.
But now the Bulgarians will have a tough test against one of the biggest football clubs in the world – AC Milan.
For Milan the Europa League is a very important competition this year. The Rossoneri want to return to the Champions League, where they belong. But once again, it won’t happen through Serie A, because Milan are too much behind the Top 4. So, their only hope at the moment remains winning Europa League, which would give them the opportunity to return to the Champions League. Right now Milan are 7th in the Serie A with 38 points won.
In Europa League the Rossoneri won a group with AEK Athens, Rijeka and Austria Wien. They finished first with 11 points and a record of 3 wins, 2 draws and just one loss.
This is a very interesting game, because Ludogorets are a strong team who can trouble Milan. The Italians are favourites here, but don’t think that it would be easy for them.