Two Serie A giants will go head-to-head on Saturday evening as AC Milan host Juventus at San Siro.
Milan slipped six points behind Juve after a dramatic 3-3 draw with Cagliari just before the international break, while Juventus secured another Derby della Mole victory, keeping them firmly in the hunt for the top spot.
Ahead of the match, Milan's defensive struggles were evident in their last outing against Cagliari, where they conceded early and then again in the dying seconds. Despite a brace from Rafael Leao, Milan couldn’t hold onto the lead, with Gabriele Zappa scoring a late equalizer. As a result, Milan sits seventh in Serie A, eight points behind Napoli but with a game in hand.
A win against Juventus would be crucial, but even with a victory, their points tally would still fall short of previous seasons, placing more pressure on head coach Paulo Fonseca.
On the other hand, Juventus has been solid, extending their unbeaten start to the Serie A season with a 2-0 win over Torino. They remain in the thick of the title race, with only two points separating them from the league leaders.
Despite some injury setbacks, Juve’s defense has been tight, with four clean sheets in their first five away matches, though they did concede four in their thrilling Derby d'Italia against Inter. Juventus will look to continue their strong form at San Siro, aiming to boost their title chances while dealing a significant blow to Milan's aspirations.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Milan have plenty of attacking options for their upcoming match, with former Juventus striker Alvaro Morata recently back in action for Spain in the UEFA Nations League. His young teammate, 16-year-old Francesco Camarda, who started against Cagliari, also impressed by scoring twice for Italy’s U-19 team. Tammy Abraham is available as well, though Luka Jovic, struggling with a groin injury, joins Alessandro Florenzi and Ismael Bennacer on the treatment table.
Rafael Leao, who had been dropped earlier this month, is back to his best. The Portuguese winger has been a standout in Serie A this year, leading the league in dribbles throughout 2024 and just one goal shy of reaching double digits for the third consecutive calendar year.
On the Juventus side, they’ll be without their top scorer, Dusan Vlahovic, who is sidelined with a thigh injury, and backup striker Arkadiusz Milik, who won’t return until next year.
That leaves either Timothy Weah son of Milan legend George Weah or Kenan Yildiz to potentially fill in as a false nine, with support from Francisco Conceicao and Teun Koopmeiners. If Yildiz scores on Saturday, he will become the seventh-youngest player to hit six Serie A goals for Juventus, surpassing the legendary Alessandro Del Piero at just 19 years old.
Juventus will also rely on Manuel Locatelli in midfield, following his recent return to the Italy squad after some strong performances this season. Meanwhile, Douglas Luiz may miss the match again, potentially joining Vlahovic, Milik, Juan Cabal, Nico Gonzalez, and Bremer on the injury list.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Weah
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
AC Milan 2-2 Juventus
Milan may struggle to stop Juventus' unbeaten run, as their defense has been inconsistent and can’t always be trusted to hold up for a full 90 minutes.
While Juve are missing some key players, they’ve shown resilience under Thiago Motta’s leadership. On the other hand, Milan, with their talented squad, have been prone to making costly mistakes, which could give Juve the upper hand.
