AC Milan vs Juventus: preview, team news, how to watch and prediction

AC Milan will go head-to-head with Juventus in the 306th Derby D’Italia at San Siro Stadium in Serie A on 23rd November.

After parting ways with Stefano Pioli at the end of last season, the Rossoneri have decided to start a new era under Paulo Fonseca. However, they have had an inconsistent start to this season, sitting seventh in the league with 18 points from 11 games.

Milan are currently just behind Juventus having played one game less and are six points behind fourth-placed Inter Milan and seven points behind the league leaders Napoli. So, the league is very tight at the top of the table at the moment.

The biggest result for Fonseca’s side thus far this season is the excellent victory over city rivals Inter. But, they lost to Palmer and even drew versus Torino and Cagliari.

Milan’s inconsistent performance has continued in the Champions League as well this season as they have won two and lost as many games in four games thus far. They were defeated by Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen in the opening two games of this competition but the victory over Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu was a really impressive result for them.

On the other hand, Juventus have made a new beginning under Thiago Motta after dismissing Massimiliano Allegri in the summer. The former PSG star displayed his coaching nous at Bologna last term, helping them finish in the top-four and qualify for the Champions League so the Bianconeri have decided to appoint him as the new boss.

Juventus have also had an inconsistent start to this season as although they are still the only unbeaten side in the Italian top-flight, Motta’s side have drawn six out of 12 games. However, they are only two points behind the table topper Napoli at the moment, even though they are currently sixth in the table.

Previous meetings

The two teams have a very equal record in their last nine Serie A encounters as both sides have won three each. However, the Bianconeri won when they last travelled to San Siro Stadium to face off against the Rossoneri last term.

How to watch

The game will kick off at 5 pm UK time and the match will be televised live on OneFootball in the UK.

Alternatively, fans can buy AC Milan vs Juventus tickets through the club websites or via a trusted online reseller like Seatsnet.com.

Team news

Milan are expected to be without Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi for this fixture due to their respective injury problems. Moreover, Matteo Gabbia was unavailable for selection in the last game against Cagliari but was close to returning so he might be available for selection in this encounter.

Alvaro Morata was sidelined in the last game having picked up a knock in training. The Spaniard has over a week to recover from his issue for this high-profile game so it remains to be seen whether he can recover in time or not.

Now, Fonseca will be hoping that nobody will pick up any issues during this international break with a crucial stage of this season set to commence after that.

As for Juventus, key defender Gleison Bremer’s season is all but over having sustained a serious knee injury earlier this season. Additionally, at the time of writing, Nico Gonzalez, Douglas Luiz and Arkadiusz Milik have all been sidelined with their respective injury problems.

Predicted line-ups

Fonseca is set to continue with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation for this encounter with Mike Maignan likely to be between the sticks. Malick Thiaw could be paired up with Strahinja Pavlovic at the back, while Emerson Royal and Theo Hernandez are likely to be the two fullbacks for the hosts. In that case, Fikayo Tomori would be among the substitutes.

Youssouf Fofana is expected to remain in the deep-lying playmaker position despite making an error that led to Cagliari’s goal in the last league game and he should start alongside Tijjani Reijnders.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek might be in the attacking midfield position, while on either side of the former Chelsea star, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic could commence on the flanks. Therefore, Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze would feature off the bench.

Morata should return to the starting eleven after recovering from his issue. So, the 16-year-old Francesco Camada would return to the bench after starting versus Cagliari, while Tammy Abraham would also have to settle with a place on the bench.

Expected Milan line-up vs Juventus

Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders, Loftus-Cheek; Leao, Morata, Pulisic

As for Juventus, Motta also uses the same formation as Fonseca and he is likely to give Michele Di Gregorio the nod to start between the sticks ahead of Mattia Perin.

Federico Gatti could be at the heart of the back alongside Pierre Kalulu. Nicolo Savona might start in the right-back position, while Andrea Cambiaso should be on the opposite side.

Manuel Locatelli is expected to be in the defensive midfield position and he could be paired up with Khephren Thuram with Teun Koopmeiners likely to be in the attacking midfield position. Therefore, Weston McKennie and Nicolo Fagioli would be among the substitutes.

Kenan Yildiz would be on the left flank and Timothy Weah could be on the opposite side. Dusan Vlahovic is set to start in the number nine position so Francisco Conceicao would feature off the bench.

Expected Juventus line-up vs Milan

Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram, Koopmeiners; Yildiz, Vlahovic, Weah

Key players

Pulisic has had a promising start to this season, scoring five goals and registering three assists in 11 league appearances. He is currently the Rossoneri’s highest scorer in Serie A so the hosts will be hoping that he will be able to help his side come away with all three points by putting his name on the scoresheet.

Leao hasn’t been able to showcase his best thus far this season so Fonseca has fielded his team on several occasions without the Portuguese in the starting eleven. But, he still has six goal contributions in seven league starts thus far this term.

He is one of the most talented players in the world so if he can perform at his best in this game then the hosts’ chances of winning this game will increase.

As for Juventus, Vlahovic has scored six goals thus far this season in Serie A and he is the Bianconeri’s highest scorer. Therefore, Milan will have to keep him quiet to win this encounter.

Prediction

Milan have won only one out of four games against the teams – who are currently in the top six. On the other hand, Juventus have a better record against top teams in the league so far. It is a hard game to predict and is likely to be a close affair. Milan 2-2 Juventus