Serie A runners-up Milan head to the Stadio Olimpico di Torino to take on unlikely European hopefuls Torino in the penultimate round. While Saturday’s clash has no actual significance to the visitors, it’s a potentially pivotal fixture for the home side amidst their uphill battle to secure a European finish.
Though it’s not been an impressive season for Torino by any stretch of the imagination, they could still land a berth in the playoff round of the Europa Conference League. Thanks to the Italian sides’ stellar runs on the continental front, Ivan Juric could still guide Granata to Europe’s third-tier competition in his swansong season in Turin.
Juric will bid farewell to Torino at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. And after coming from behind to beat Hellas Verona 2-1 last weekend, the Croat could leave the club on a high if he can drop the curtain on his tenure with back-to-back wins against top-five Serie A teams. Indeed, his men will take on Europa League finalists Atalanta on the final day.
On the other hand, there’s nothing but pride left to play for after Milan came off second-best to arch-rivals Inter in a one-sided Scudetto race. Stefano Pioli could at least steer Rossoneri to 80 Serie A points for only the second time in the last 13 years. It will, however, require victories against Torino and basement boys Salernitana.
Milan will take this trip in a buoyant mood following a 5-1 thrashing of Cagliari last weekend. Rossoneri’s rampant second-half performance saw them bring an underwhelming six-game winless run in all competitions to a halt ahead of their final league travel of the season. But beating Torino will not be as straightforward.
Match Preview
Torino
Late strikes from Zannetos Savva and Pietro Pellegri helped Torino see off Verona last Sunday and snap a five-match winless streak in Serie A (D3, L2). However, the impending home return will not bring much joy to Juric as his charges have shared the spoils in four of their last five league outings at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino (W1).
Torino have a debt to pay to their fans after denying them entertainment during that barren run, with each of those four stalemates ending 0-0. Another ideal outcome is a distinct possibility, considering their last two home matches against Serie A top-four sides finished goalless. Bologna and Juventus were on the opposite side.
Particularly sloppy in attack before halftime, Juric’s men have failed to get on the scoresheet in the first half across their last eight home league games.
Milan
Despite Torino’s well-documented scoring woes, this venue hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Milan. Except for an iconic 7-0 thumping in May 2021, Pioli’s lads have gone winless in nine of their last ten visits to the Stadio Olimpico di Torino (D6, L3). But that’s a good omen, considering Rossoneri finished runners-up to Inter that time, just as they will this term.
That’s also a rare upside for Milan, who are winless on their last three road trips across all competitions (D2, L1). On top of that, barring an uneventful scoreless draw at Torino’s crosstown rivals Juventus, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six away matches. Against this backdrop, they’ve shut Torino out twice in their three most recent H2Hs in Turin.
While Pioli’s backline has been under heavy scrutiny for a series of sub-par displays, things are working perfectly for Milan in the front third. Before being held by Juventus, they had scored at least twice on three consecutive Serie A travels, averaging 2.66 goals per game.
Team News
Torino will be without Perr Schuurs, Nikola Vlasic, Koffi Djidji, and Gvidas Gineitis for this match-up. Antonio Sanabria could be Juric’s X-factor, as he’s been on the scoresheet in Granata’s five home victories this season.
As for Milan, Samuel Chukwueze and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are out injured, while Matteo Gabbia serves a one-game ban. It’s still uncertain whether Mike Maignan will regain his place between the sticks as he’s still recovering from a rib injury.
Torino vs Milan Potential Lineups
Torino (3-4-1-2): Vanja Milinkovic-Savic; Mergim Vojvoda, Alessandro Buongiorno, Adam Masina; Raoul Bellanova, Ivan Ilic, Adrien Tameze, Ricardo Rodriguez; Samuele Ricci; Antonio Sanabria, Duvan Zapata.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Yunus Musah, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Ismael Bennacer, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Torino vs Milan Prediction
This fixture has a low-scoring draw written all over it. Despite boasting the division’s second-best attacking record behind Inter, Milan could find it difficult to break down Torino’s sturdy defense.
Prediction: Draw
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