UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2020/21 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Stadion Rajko Mitić - Belgrade Thursday 18 February 2021 18.55CET (18.55 local time) FK Crvena zvezda Round of 32, First leg AC Milan Last updated 19/03/2021 14:06CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Team facts 6 Squad list 8 Fixtures and results 11 Match-by-match lineups 15 Match officials 18 Legend 20 1 FK Crvena zvezda - AC Milan Thursday 18 February 2021 - 18.55CET (18.55 local time) Match press kit Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-2 Djokić 80; F. Inzaghi 22/08/2006 QR3 FK Crvena zvezda - AC Milan Belgrade agg: 1-3 29, Seedorf 78 09/08/2006 QR3 AC Milan - FK Crvena zvezda 1-0 Milan F. Inzaghi 22 European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 (Rep) Stojković 39; Van 10/11/1988 R2 (Rep) FK Crvena zvezda - AC Milan Belgrade (aet, 2-4 pens) Basten 35 26/10/1988 R2 AC Milan - FK Crvena zvezda 1-1 Milan Virdis 48; Stojković 47 Home Away Final Neutral Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA FK Crvena zvezda 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 3 5 AC Milan 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 5 3 FK Crvena zvezda - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Hamšík 11, Mertens 28/11/2018 GS SSC Napoli - FK Crvena zvezda 3-1 Naples 33, 52; Ben Nabouhane 57 18/09/2018 GS FK Crvena zvezda - SSC Napoli 0-0 Belgrade UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers FK Crvena zvezda - US Sassuolo 1-1 25/08/2016 PO Belgrade Katai 54; Berardi 28 Calcio agg: 1-4 US Sassuolo Calcio - FK Crvena Berardi 17, Politano 18/08/2016 PO 3-0 Reggio Emilia zvezda 41, Defrel 69 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Žigić 37, 86, Purović 01/12/2005 GS FK Crvena zvezda - AS Roma 3-1 Belgrade 77; Nonda 23 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 Bošković 69; Chiesa 14/11/2002 R2 FK Crvena zvezda - SS Lazio Belgrade agg: 1-2 77 31/10/2002 R2 SS Lazio - FK Crvena zvezda 1-0 Rome Fiore 10 AC Chievo Verona - FK Crvena 0-2 Gvozdenović 70, D. 03/10/2002 R1 Verona zvezda agg: 0-2 Milovanović 86 FK Crvena zvezda - AC Chievo 19/09/2002 R1 0-0 Belgrade Verona 2 FK Crvena zvezda - AC Milan Thursday 18 February 2021 - 18.55CET (18.55 local time) Match press kit Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Mihajlović 11; FK Crvena zvezda - UC Katanec 33, 01/04/1992 R3 (GS) 1-3 Sofia Sampdoria Vasilijevic 41 (og), Mancini 75 UC Sampdoria - FK Crvena 27/11/1991 R3 (GS) 2-0 Genoa Mancini 7, Vialli 73 zvezda UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Djurovski 16 (P), FK Crvena zvezda - Hellas 2-3 Djurovski 58; 28/09/1983 R1 Belgrade Verona FC agg: 2-4 Sacchetti 34, Galderisi 64, 82 Hellas Verona FC - FK Crvena 14/09/1983 R1 1-0 Verona Fanna 36 (P) zvezda European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers FK Crvena zvezda - FC 0-1 18/03/1981 QF Belgrade Muraro 13 Internazionale Milano agg: 1-2 FC Internazionale Milano - FK 04/03/1981 QF 1-1 Milan Caso 45+2; Repčić 75 Crvena zvezda European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers ACF Fiorentina - FK Crvena 0-0 18/04/1957 SF Florence zvezda agg: 1-0 FK Crvena zvezda - ACF 03/04/1957 SF 0-1 Belgrade Prini 88 Fiorentina AC Milan - Record versus clubs from opponents' country AC Milan have not played against a club from their opponents' country Home Away Final Neutral Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA FK Crvena zvezda 10 1 5 4 10 1 3 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 21 2 8 11 15 27 AC Milan 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 5 3 3 FK Crvena zvezda - AC Milan Thursday 18 February 2021 - 18.55CET (18.55 local time) Match press kit Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade Match background Two former European champions go head to head in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 as Serbian title holders Crvena zvezda take on Italian Serie A high fliers AC Milan. • The Belgrade side qualified as runners-up in Group L, behind Hoffenheim, on 11 points, while Milan came through a tough section comprising LOSC Lille, Sparta Praha and Celtic, leapfrogging the French side on Matchday 6 to take top spot with 13 points. Previous meetings • The clubs have been paired twice previously in UEFA competition, the Italian side prevailing on both occasions. Most famously, they triumphed on penalties in the second round of the 1988/89 European Cup – which the Rossoneri went on to win – after two 1-1 draws, the second of which, in Belgrade, came a day after the initial second leg had been abandoned because of fog with the home side leading 1-0. • Milan also overcame Crvena zvezda 3-1 on aggregate in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (1-0 h, 2-1 a), Filippo Inzaghi scoring in both legs. The Rossoneri have never faced any other Serbian club in UEFA competition. • Crvena zvezda have won only two of their 21 UEFA matches against Italian opposition (D8 L11), the solitary home win coming against Roma in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage (3-1). Their only success in nine two-legged European ties against Italian teams came against Chievo in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round (0-0 h, 2-0 a), though that was immediately followed by defeat against another Serie A side, Lazio, in the second round (0-1 a, 1-1 h). • It was in Italy, however, that Crvena zvezda won the 1990/91 European Cup, beating Marseille on penalties after a goalless draw in Bari. Form guide Crvena zvezda • The 2019/20 season brought Crvena zvezda their 30th national title, completing a hat-trick of Serbian Super Liga successes. The Belgrade giants also reached the UEFA Champions League group stage for the second successive season, again finishing in fourth place, behind Bayern, Tottenham Hotspur and Olympiacos. • The 1990/91 European champions' bid to return to the UEFA Champions League group stage this season under new head coach Dejan Stanković ended in the third qualifying round with a penalty shoot-out defeat in Cyprus against Omonoia, but a 2-1 win back in neutral Nicosia against Ararat-Armenia in the UEFA Europa League play-offs ensured a fourth successive autumn of European group stage football. Crvena zvezda lost their opening group game 2-0 at Hoffenheim but remained unbeaten thereafter, taking four points off Slovan Liberec (5-1 h, 0-0) and all six off Gent (2- 1 h, 2-0 a) as well as drawing the return fixture 0-0 against the German group winners. • Crvena zvezda's one previous appearance in the UEFA Europa League round of 32, in 2017/18, brought defeat by CSKA Moskva (0-0 h, 0-1 a). That was the club's first springtime European engagement since the 1991/92 European Cup group stage. • Unbeaten at home in 13 European qualifying matches over the last four seasons (W9 D4), Crvena zvezda's record in Belgrade in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final, is W3 D3 L1, with Arsenal the only team to beat them there. Milan • A sixth-placed finish in Serie A last term earned Milan a return to Europe after a one-season absence. Stefano Pioli's side beat Shamrock Rovers (2-0 a) and Bodø/Glimt (3-2 h) in their first two qualifying matches before dramatically capturing a place in the UEFA Europa League group stage by ousting Rio Ave 9-8 in a marathon penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw in Portugal. • The Rossoneri made a strong start to Group H, winning 3-1 at Celtic and 3-0 at home to Sparta, but then lost 0-3 at home to LOSC before drawing 1-1 in France. Further wins against Celtic (4-2 h) and Sparta (1-0 a) were enough, however, to see them through as group winners. • This is the seven-time European champions' second appearance in the UEFA Europa League round of 32, the first, in 2017/18, having brought a comfortable 4-0 aggregate victory over Ludogorets (3-0 a, 1-0 h) before they crashed out in the round of 16 to Arsenal. Milan failed to get out of their group the following season, finishing third behind Real Betis and Olympiacos. • Undefeated on the road in 2020/21 (W3 D2), Milan's away record in the UEFA Europa League, qualifiers included, is W8 D4 L3. However, the Rossoneri have struggled on their travels in recent springtime campaigns, losing seven of their last 11 post-Christmas European away fixtures, that 3-0 success in Bulgaria three years ago the only victory.