Allianz Stadium sets the stage for a blockbuster Serie A showdown between eternal rivals Juventus and Milan. Saturday’s clash in Turin is a battle between the two sides keen to finish ‘best of the rest’ after Inter claimed the Scudetto earlier this week.
It’s been another disappointing season for Juventus, even though they’re on the verge of returning to the Champions League group stages after a season-long absence. Massimiliano Allegri’s men sit third in the table ahead of this round, boasting a comfortable ten-point lead on sixth-placed Atalanta.
Serie A clubs’ impressive European runs in recent years have earned the league a fifth spot under the new Champions League format. Therefore, Juventus will almost certainly return to Europe’s top table next term despite experiencing one of the most underwhelming campaigns across Allegri’s two separate stints.
With five points separating Juventus and Milan ahead of the kick-off, another derby win could rekindle the home side’s hopes of securing a runner-up finish. Stefano Pioli’s dreadful record in the Derby della Madonnina hit a new low on Monday. Inter defeated Rossoneri 2-1 to win their 20th Scudetto, condemning the Italian manager to his tenth defeat in 15 derbies in charge of the 19-time champions.
Beating Inter wouldn’t have changed much for Milan, considering they had given up their title hopes long ago. However, a disheartening Europa League quarter-final exit to Roma was a blow and perhaps the final in Pioli’s coffin, with Rossoneri already scouring the market for his replacement ahead of the new campaign.
Match Preview
Juventus
Juventus fans voiced their discontent with Allegri’s management again as Bianconeri shared the spoils with relegation-threatened Cagliari in a 2-2 draw last time out after giving up two first-half penalties. Another sub-below performance fuelled supporters’ rage, with the record-time Italian champions now winless in six of their seven most recent league outings (D3, L3).
Overcoming Lazio in midweek Coppa Italia action to reach the grand final offered some light at the end of the tunnel. However, Allegri has a more pressing matter to address before his troops take on Atalanta in the title-deciding fixture later this month.
Notoriously wasteful in the front third, Juventus have failed to score before halftime in 20 of their 33 league games this season. It’s their worst first-half tally since 2007/08, perhaps best explaining the club faithful’s unrest. But there’s a silver lining.
Juventus are unbeaten in their last five home games in Serie A (W3, D2) and have racked up three consecutive clean sheets in Turin in the build-up to this encounter.
Milan
In contrast to Juventus’ well-documented scoring woes, Milan have been lethal this season, with only Inter (79) bettering their decent-looking tally of 64 Serie A goals. Particularly proactive on the road, Pioli’s men have netted 2+ goals on their last three Serie A travels (W2, D1), contributing to an impressive ratio of 2.17 goals per away league match this season.
While Pioli’s frontlines run like clockwork, the outgoing manager has proved terminally unable to patch his fragile defense up. The abovementioned loss to Inter marked Milan’s seventh failed attempt to keep a clean sheet in their last eight competitive outings. That has to change if they’re to make history on Saturday.
Unbeaten in their last four away meetings with Juventus (W2, D2), Milan could avoid defeat on five consecutive trips to Turin for the first time. With the club’s folklore waiting in the wings, the visitors can rely on their decent run of losing just three of their last 13 away matches (W8, D2, L3).
Team News
Nicolo Fagioli’s return from suspension for breaching betting rules is just around the corner, but he’s still unavailable. The same goes for Paul Pogba, while there’s hope for Moise Kean to make the matchday squad amidst a minor knee problem.
As for Milan, Pierre Kalulu and Tommaso Pobega are in the treatment room, while Simon Kjaer has to beat the clock to put himself at Pioli’s disposal. Fikayo Tomori accumulated yellow cards against Inter and will remain on the sidelines.
That’s not the end of Pioli’s troubles. Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez lost their tempers at an ill-tempered tail-end of the Derby della Madonnina, picking up straight reds, which makes them unavailable for selection.
Juventus vs Milan Potential Lineups
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer, Danilo; Andrea Cambiaso, Weston McKennie, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Yunus Musah, Malick Thiaw, Matteo Gabbia, Alessandro Florenzi; Yacine Adli, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Juventus vs Milan Prediction
Malick Thiaw’s first-half expulsion helped Juventus grab a narrow 1-0 win in the reverse fixture. Another low-scoring contest could be on the cards, but we expect a depleted Milan to settle the account.
Prediction: Milan Win
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