AC Milan vs Juventus

Stadio San Siro forms the backdrop for one of the most highly anticipated Serie A fixtures as AC Milan and Juventus go head-to-head in a top-four six-pointer.

Christian Pulisic came off the bench to inspire Milan to a morale-boosting 1-0 win at Genoa before the international break. But Stefano Pioli’s men paid a hefty price for their fourth consecutive Serie A victory, losing defensive pillars Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez to suspension. Without two significant first-team stars, Milan’s backline could be vulnerable against Juventus’ decent-performing frontline despite registering four clean sheets in their last five top-flight H2Hs, including the last three on the trot. Moreover, since a 4-1 romping of Juventus’ cross-city rivals Torino in their first home game of the season, ‘I Rossoneri’ have registered three consecutive clean sheets at San Siro in all competitions (W2, D1). Milan’s defensive solidity bodes well for their bid to post seven successive home league wins for the first time since 2013.

On the other hand, despite missing star forwards Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa to injuries, Juventus pulled off a 2-0 statement win over Torino last time out, taking their seasonal points tally to 17, only four points adrift of table-topping Milan. Massimiliano Allegri’s men are enjoying their best Serie A start in four years, even though there’s ample room for improvement in their away performances. After back-to-back wins ‘to nil’ over Udinese and Empoli, ‘I Bianconeri’ have dropped points on their last two league travels, losing 4-2 at Sassuolo and drawing 0-0 against Atalanta. Considering they’ve racked up three straight Serie A clean sheets in the build-up to this encounter, one goal may do the trick for Juventus, which is a relief, knowing they’ve failed to score on their last two visits to San Siro.