AC Milan vs. Napoli: Issues and Decisions That Will Shape Serie A Game

Milan have only won once in their past five Serie A matches, further sliding them down the table and way outside the top five in the standings.

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Filippo Inzaghi must get his tactics perfectly right to stifle a Napoli side that can entertain plenty with their high-scoring offensive line and physical defense.

Napoli is in fifth, surprised to have been surpassed by both Genoa and Sampdoria in the table. The southern Italian squad started off the season poorly by getting knocked out of the Champions League qualification stage by Athletic Bilbao a few months ago, which certainly didn't to wonders for their psyche right away.

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Both sides desperately need a result to maintain a positive mentality going into the winter break and into the new calendar year. Needless to say, there are plenty of issues and decisions that will shape this Serie A match between Milan and Napoli.

First and foremost, the San Siro must provide a viable atmosphere for this match. We've seen the stadium fill to maximum capacity during Milan's matches against Juventus and Inter this season, which certainly provides the right type of atmosphere for a top-tier Italian clash.

Inzaghi will once again have to make the best of what he has in the defense, as Ignazio Abate, Mattia De Sciglio and Alex are still iffy. Losing both of your starting full-backs and your first-choice center-back is never easy to overcome.

Daniele Bonera has been woeful throughout the season whether he's in the center or on the flanks. It was his marking once again that led to the aerial goal by Genoa in their 1-0 victory against Milan last week.

If Bonera does continue to play as a right-back, he could get overrun by Napoli's left wing which will include the quick trickster Dries Mertens and the overlapping full-back Faouzi Ghoulam. Napoli love creating play through both wings with either Mertens or Jose Callejon, who often interchange positions and try to link up with Gonzalo Higuain. 

The most interesting subplot for Milan continues to be in their attack. Fernando Torres has been nursing a nagging ankle injury for quite some time, but that can't be the excuse for his poor play. He hasn't been himself in four years now and has hardly shown anything at Milan for him to continue to be considered as a starter.

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Look no further than Milan's last match against Genoa. Giampaolo Pazzini and M'Baye Niang were the attacking options brought off the bench in the second half instead of Torres, who was also on the bench.

The issue of not starting the Spaniard isn't exactly one that has hurt Milan. While inconsistent, Jeremy Menez is virtually impossible to mark when he's on his day and he has seven goals in the Serie A, leading mostly as a false No.9. 

The most recent headline from the Gazzetta says Torres might be on his way out already in January, as he could go back to Chelsea in the Premier League. What was supposed to be the perfect opportunity for him to regain some of his old magical form has seemingly turned into another disappointment.

Milan and Napoli are essentially two teams who have the same objective of battling for a top-three spot in Serie A. Whoever collects these points will have a leg up going forward as they really are three golden points for the fight to grab the last and final Champions League spot in the standings.