On Saturday, Sinisa Mihajlovic’s Milan take on a Juventus side looking to climb up the table after an indifferent start.
A wholly underwhelming international break is behind us and real football has finally returned. What better way to wet our appetites than with the excitement of Carpi-Chievo? Actually, scratch that. Milan and their 16-year-old goalkeeping prodigy will make their way to the Juventus Stadium to take on the reigning champions. Talk about a way to get out of the international break funk. The rossoneri are undefeated in their last five games including wins against Lazio, Chievo, and Sassuolo. Juventus, on the other hand, appear to have broken out of their early season slump with positive results against Torino, Borussia Moenchengladbach, and Empoli. Yes, a draw away from home in the Champions League with a man down is a positive result.
While past history is never the best indicator when it comes to games like these, it has been Juventus that have had the upper hand recently. In their previous six meetings, Massimiliano Allegri’s side have won on five occasions while Milan have only been able to claim the three points once. At the moment, however, Mihajlovic’s men are ahead of Juventus in the table by two points in sixth place. For a better, (statistical) understanding about how each team has fared so far, this piece is a must read.
How will they line up?
A cause for confusion this season has been Allegri’s formation choices. One week it’s the 4-3-3 while the next it could either be the 4-3-1-2 or the 3-5-2. The Italian tactician has admitted that he doesn’t even know what to call it, as of right now. One thing’s for certain, it’ll look eerily similar to his preferred 4-3-something formation. Meaning there will be four defenders, three midfielders and three forward players constantly interchanging positions. At the moment, this is what’s being rumoured ahead of Saturday’s clash –
Juventus v Milan (4-3-3): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba; Cuadrado, Dybala, Morata
So, Buffon and Lichtsteiner will likely feature despite picking up slight knocks during international duty. In the midfield, Allegri will stick to his guns and go with his three best midfielders. Quick fact: Juventus are undefeated with Sami Khedira in the lineup. Five wins and two draws. The attack will consist of Cuadrado, Morata, and Dybala who will once again get a shot to prove themselves as a trio.
Mihajlovic, by contrast, appears to have ditched his preferred 4-3-1-2 formation because of the lack of a true trequartista and has opted to go with the 4-3-3. In many ways, this has worked because it suits Carlos Bacca and gives Giacomo Bonaventura more freedom down the left wing. It also helps Alessio Cerci as he can play in his preferred right wing spot. Despite showing flashes of brilliance there, the former Torino man is yet to fully put his early season blues behind him. Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 16-year-old sensation, is expected to make his sixth consecutive start but this time the stakes have been raised. At the Juventus Stadium against Gianluigi Buffon. Goalkeeping enthusiasts are already licking their lips. This is what’s being rumoured as Milan’s starting eleven going into Saturday –
Milan v Juventus (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Abate, Mexes, Romagnoli, Antonelli; Kucka, Montolivo, Poli; Cerci, Bacca, Bonaventura
With the injury to Andrea Bertolacci, Milan’s midfield forces have been stretched increasingly thin and Andrea Poli will start, as a result. In defence, Mexes has regained his spot after coming in for the injured Alex against Lazio. The Frenchman scored in that game and impressed enough to win back the starting role.
Players to watch:
Juventus – Alvaro Morata
While I will be keeping an eye on a number of Juventus players including Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba, I’m most interested in seeing how Morata adapts to his role out wide. Even if he is only deployed wide when the bianconeri lose possession, he has struggled to drive his game forward from the left despite his pace. If the Spaniard is able to adapt to his new role, Juventus’ need for an out and out left winger will be diminished. Against Milan, he will be going up against a positionally unaware Ignazio Abate making it easier for him to get in behind. Moving forward, Juventus’ success in this formation will hinge on their ability to find a solution on the left hand side. Whether that is Morata, who knows, but the game against Mihajlovic’s side will give us a better indication.
Milan – Alessio Romagnoli
Much like for Juventus, I could have gone with a few players. Should the focus be on Gianluigi Donnarumma because of the way he bursted onto the scene or should it be on the criminally underrated Giacomo Bonaventura? Well, apparently neither. After a rocky start at the heart of defence, Romagnoli has emerged as Milan’s rock at the back. Considering the various partners that he’s had this season, it makes his form that much more impressive. Against Juventus’ attacking trio, the former Sampdoria man will truly be put to the test. Romagnoli has already proven his quality against tricky forwards as seen through his performance against Lazio’s Antonio Candreva, Keita Balde, and Felipe Anderson. Will he be able to stifle Dybala, Cuadrado, and Morata for the whole ninety minutes? That’s what I’m interested in.
Writer’s prediction –
Is “I’m not sure,” an acceptable response? A year ago, predicting this game would be much easier. Milan vs Juventus at the fortress that is the Juventus Stadium, there’s only one outcome. This year, however, Juventus have already drawn two games at home and lost one. Milan, on the other hand, have a rather average (8th) away record with two wins, a draw, and three losses. That said, I do find it hard to bet against Juventus in this one and think they will prevail in what should be a narrow affair.
Juventus-Milan (2-1)
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