Sunday’s heavyweight showdown between AC Milan and Juventus takes centre stage in Serie A this weekend, with the title hopefuls locking horns at the San Siro.
The two giants of Italian football are separated by four points in the Serie A standings, with table-topping Milan leading third-placed Juventus.
Heading into the weekend 🔥#MilanJuve #SempreMilan Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/lbLpK1VtyF— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 19, 2023
Heading into the weekend 🔥#MilanJuve #SempreMilan Brought to you by @play_eFootball pic.twitter.com/lbLpK1VtyF
Can the Rossoneri maintain their lead at the summit? Or will the Old Lady close the gap this weekend? Let’s take a closer look at the teams.
It’s fair to say that AC Milan have made a strong start to the 2023-24 Serie A season, winning seven of their opening eight matches while suffering a solitary defeat.
After kicking off their campaign with three straight wins, Milan endured a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals, but that result is now firmly in the past.
Since then, Milan have racked up four successive victories in the league, dispatching Hellas Verona, Cagliari, Lazio and Genoa while keeping three clean sheets.
Not only have Milan avoided defeat in each of their last 12 home league games, but they have also avoided defeat in 18 of their previous 21, highlighting their dominance.
That said, Juventus have also made an impressive start to the Serie A campaign, recording five wins, two draws and one defeat so far.
Max Allegri’s men head into Sunday’s showdown on a three-game unbeaten streak, having kept successive clean sheets against Lecce, Atalanta and Torino.
As a result, Juventus boast the second-best defensive record in the division, with only six goals conceded after eight matches.
Following a handful of seasons in the darkness, Juventus look set to mount a title challenge once again after missing out on the scudetto in recent years.
Head-to-head: Juventus have failed to win any of their last five Serie A meetings with Milan, scoring a solitary goal in the process.
The Old Lady has also picked up just one victory in the previous seven league encounters between the two sides, suffering four defeats in the process.
Team news: Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez are suspended for Milan, while Ismael Bennacer, Mattia Caldara, Pierre Kalulu and Rade Krunic are injured.
Paul Pogba remains sidelined for Juventus, with Alex Sandro, Federico Chiesa, Danilo and Mattia De Sciglio also on the treatment table.
With only four points separating first and third in the Serie A table, Milan and Juventus look set to play out a close-fought battle on Sunday.
Accordingly, Forebet predicts that Milan and Juventus will serve up a low-scoring draw the San Siro, with both teams netting under 1.5 goals.