ROME: Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne have grown accustomed to facing each other in the Champions League.
On Sunday at the San Siro, the two midfield standouts will have their first meeting in Serie A since their recent moves to Italy.
When Modric’s AC Milan host De Bruyne’s Napoli, they will also be a showdown between two of the Italian league’s best performing teams.
At age 40, Modric has helped transform Milan into a potential title challenger. De Bruyne, who is 34, has helped defending champion Napoli remain the team to beat.
Napoli will be looking to extend their perfect start, while Milan will be aiming for their fifth straight win across all competitions.
Modric’s move to Milan came after 13 seasons at Real Madrid. De Bruyne spent a decade at Manchester City.
For club and country Modric and De Bruyne have met 13 times, with De Bruyne’s teams winning five, Modric’s teams winning four, and four draws.
Both players have made an immediate impact in Serie A.
Modric scored in Milan’s 1-0 win over Bologna, provided an assist in a victory over Lecce and has played 335 minutes in four Serie A matches — twice appearing from start to finish.
“He always knows before anyone else where the ball is going to end up,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said.
De Bruyne has scored twice in four Serie A games and seamlessly joined a stellar Napoli midfield featuring Scott McTominay, Stanislav Lobotka and Frank Anguissa. He has also provided key leadership for the southern club’s return to the Champions League.
“He has humbly immersed himself in our club. We needed someone like him,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte said.
Key matchups
It’s not all about Modric and De Bruyne. Milan vs. Napoli also marks a meeting between coaches who have accounted for 11 of the past 15 Serie A titles.
But Allegri and Conte have not met for 12 years — since Conte’s Juventus beat Allegri’s Milan in October 2013. A few months later, Allegri was fired by Milan as Conte went on to win his third straight title at Juventus. Then Allegri replaced Conte at Juventus after that season and guided the Bianconeri to five straight titles.
Conte went on to coach Italy, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Tottenham before winning Serie A again in his first season at Napoli. Allegri had a second stint at Juventus before returning to Milan for this season.
For Allegri’s Milan, the Napoli game starts a difficult two-week period that includes a visit to Juventus the following weekend.
On Saturday, Juventus host Atalanta and unbeaten Cremonese visit Como.
Players to watch
Inter Milan center forward Pio Esposito hasn’t yet scored in Serie A, but the 20-year-old is gaining admirers for his physical play and being touted as Italy’s next great center forward.
Last weekend against Sassuolo, the 1.91-meter (6-foot-3) Esposito used his physical presence to hold off defenders and three times came close to scoring.
“He knows how to do a bit of everything,” Inter coach Cristian Chivu said.
On Saturday, Inter visit Cagliari, which feature Pio’s older brother, Sebastiano Esposito. Another older brother, Salvatore, plays a midfielder for Spezia in Serie B.
United States forward Christian Pulisic has scored five goals in six matches across all competitions for Milan this season.
Out of action
Milan winger Rafael Leão has been out with a right calf injury since exiting an Italian Cup match on Aug. 17 but could return against Napoli — likely off the bench.
The often-injured Roma playmaker Paulo Dybala is still out with a muscle issue for a game against Hellas Verona on Sunday. But the Giallorossi have performed well without him, winning the Rome derby last weekend and beating Nice in the Europa League on Wednesday.
Off the field
Milan’s city council was due to start discussing the sale of the San Siro to Milan and Inter on Thursday, with a vote scheduled for Monday.
If the sale is approved, the teams plan to tear down the 99-year-old stadium and jointly build a new arena.
On Wednesday, Milan and Inter announced an agreement with architectural firms Foster + Partners and Manica to design the new stadium if the city council approves the move.