(Football news) Champions League losers take on a side that dominated Group F in the fall as the teams square off in their first-ever competitive match.

A big upset did not occur when Milan was eliminated from this season’s “Group of Death,” despite having hoped to at least repeat their run to the final four from the previous year, given the character of their Champions League opponents—Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Newcastle United.

Finishing third, behind Dortmund and PSG, saw the Italian giants slip down into the Europa League, in which they must overcome a tough two-legged tie to reach the last 16.

Since their exit from UEFA’s top club competition, they have found some fluency in the final third – and, crucially, a clinical edge: only RB Salzburg scored fewer goals than Milan’s five in the Champions League group stage, despite just four teams taking more shots.

Posting a fourth win from five games, the Rossoneri came out on top in a tussle between the last two Serie A champions on Sunday evening, when they welcomed struggling Scudetto holders Napoli to San Siro.

Following a fightback against Frosinone that tightened their grip on third spot, Stefano Pioli’s side struck midway through the first half thanks to flying full-back Theo Hernandez, and they have closed to within one point of second-placed Juventus – city rivals Inter Milan are eight points ahead.

Having scored 20 times in eight matches this year, Milan may be comfortably on course for a Champions League place via their league finish, but they now return to a competition they are yet to master: the seven-time European champions have never before won the Europa League.

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