AC Milan and Slavia Prague will square off in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie on Thursday

AC Milan hosts Slavia Prague in their Europa League Round of 16 first leg tie. After a goal-filled playoff with Rennes, they won 3-0 at home but lost 3-2 away, advancing 5-3 on aggregate. Since then, they drew 1-1 with Atalanta at San Siro before securing a late 1-0 win against Lazio in Rome, taking advantage of Lazio's reduced manpower. AC Milan has lost just two Serie A home games this season, with a notable win over Paris St Germain in the Champions League group stages.

Slavia Prague is on a ten-game unbeaten streak in the Czechia First League, although they recently suffered defeat to city rivals Sparta Prague in the Czech Cup. Despite a 0-0 draw against the same opponents over the weekend, Slavia remains second in the division, four points behind Sparta Prague after 23 games, with just one league loss this season. In Europe, they topped their group in the Europa League, showcasing their competitiveness against teams like AS Roma. However, facing AC Milan in the first leg, the difference in squad strength and home advantage could heavily favor the Italian side.

With the Serie A title slipping away, Milan sees the Europa League as their best shot at silverware this season. Slavia Prague, experienced in this tournament, have had notable wins including against AS Roma. However, playing in Milan, the data suggests Milan should hold the advantage for the second leg.