Serie A Preview: Milan vs Juventus – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction

One of the most fascinating match-ups in European football takes place at San Siro this Saturday as eternal rivals Milan and Juventus renew hostilities in a Serie A blockbuster. The stakes are at an all-time high for home manager Paulo Fonseca following an underwhelming start to his second coaching job in Italy.

Despite outstanding victories against Inter and Real Madrid, Fonseca’s future at Milan remains under heavy scrutiny. A goal-glutted 3-3 draw at relegation-battling Cagliari on the brink of November’s international break left the Rossoneri outside the European qualification spots in the Serie A table.

Indeed, Milan spent the two-week hiatus from club football six points adrift of sixth-placed Juventus. With a game in hand, they’re still firmly in the race for a top-four finish. However, the margin for error is thin, especially amid the club’s topsy-turvy UEFA Champions League campaign.

In contrast to Fonseca’s early struggles at San Siro, Thiago Motta hasn’t lost a single league game since replacing Massimiliano Allegri in Juventus’ dugout. Goals from Tim Weah and Kenan Yildiz inspired the Bianconeri to a routine 2-0 home triumph against crosstown rivals Torino in the previous round.

As a result of their second consecutive Serie A win, Juventus entered the international break only two points adrift of table-topping Napoli. Furthermore, they could make it three league victories in a row for the first time this season, perhaps at the expense of Fonseca’s managerial post in Lombardy.

Match Preview

Milan

Cagliari’s last-gasp equalizer prevented Milan from completing a run of three successive league wins for the first time since April, intensifying the pressure on Fonseca. Furthermore, the Rossoneri fell to a 2-0 defeat to Napoli in their last home outing in Serie A, relinquishing a three-match winning streak.

Juventus’ upcoming visit cannot inspire much confidence around the home camp, considering Milan have emerged winless from three of their last four league encounters against the Bianconeri at San Siro (D2, L1). On top of that, they failed to find the back of the net twice in the most recent three.

However, Milan could make a crucial difference in the first half this time. Delivering action from the get-go, Fonseca’s charges have tallied 13 of their 20 Serie A goals before halftime, accounting for the division’s joint-best first-half tally alongside Inter.

With Rafael Leao seemingly back to form, Milan should feel optimistic about their chances of inflicting Juventus’ first top-flight defeat under Motta.

Juventus

Despite commencing this round as the only side in Serie A yet to lose a league fixture, a high volume of draws has plagued Juventus’ quest to regain the Scudetto after four years. Motta’s men have drawn a league joint-high six matches, with only Bologna and Empoli sharing the spoils as often as the Bianconeri.

That inability to convert stalemates into victories has seen Juventus alternate between winning and drawing across their five league travels this term (W3, D2). However, defensive solidity has been a constant. Except for a memorable 4-4 draw at this stadium against Inter, they’ve kept a clean sheet in all four remaining away Serie A games.

Juve’s standout defensive resilience on the road forms part of the club’s outstanding record of nine shutouts in the opening 12 rounds. That’s their best defensive start to a new top-flight campaign since a title-winning 2014/15 season under Max Allegri.

In addition to their formidable defensive record, Juventus have been firing on all cylinders in hostile environments, netting 3+ goals in four of their seven competitive away matches this season.

Team News

Milan avoided further injury concerns during the international break. Therefore, long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi, Ismael Bennacer, and Matteo Gabbia are the only missing players in the home camp. Despite sustaining a minor knee problem while on duty with France, Theo Hernandez is fit for Saturday’s encounter.

On the other hand, Juventus suffered a significant injury setback earlier this week as Dusan Vlahovic returned from his duty with Serbia with a knock. Therefore, he’ll join Arkadiusz Milik, Nicolas Gonzalez, Douglas Luiz, Juan Cabal, Gleison Bremer, and Vasilije Adzic on the sidelines.

Milan vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Emerson Royal, Malick Thiaw, Strahinja Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders; Samuel Chukwueze, Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao; Alvaro Morata.

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Michele Di Gregorio; Nicolo Savona, Federico Gatti, Pierre Kalulu, Andrea Cambiaso; Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram; Tim Weah, Teun Koopmeiners, Kenan Yildiz; Francisco Conceicao.

Milan vs Juventus Prediction

A notorious lack of consistency has been Milan’s Achilles heel during Fonseca’s regime. Yet, barring the abovementioned fiasco against Napoli, they’ve fared astonishingly in high-profile matches. As for Juventus, they’ve been a tough nut to crack, especially outside the Allianz Stadium.

On that basis, we believe the arch-rivals could share the spoils, as they did in a scoreless draw in Turin in April.

Prediction: Draw

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