AC Milan vs Torino

Mentally-crippled AC Milan welcome Serie A mid-table strugglers Torino at the Stadio San Siro for a handsomely-looking Coppa Italia last-16 tie.

You’d be forgiven for doubting Milan’s mental state ahead of this encounter, considering ‘I Rossoneri’ spurned a 2-0 lead in a heartbreaking 2-2 home league draw against Roma last time out. Despite boasting a two-goal lead in the 87th minute, Milan spurned two vital points, potentially ruling themselves out of the Serie A title race. On a more positive note, Stefano Pioli’s men have gone unbeaten in six competitive matches (W4, D2) since a 2-1 defeat away to non-other than Torino back in October. Before Roma’s outrageous late effort to pull off a draw at the weekend, Milan had won four consecutive home showdowns against domestic rivals, so there’s plenty of reason for enthusiasm in the home camp. On top of that, they’ve held Torino goalless in their last four competitive H2Hs at San Siro (W4).

On the other hand, Torino wasted a 1-0 halftime lead away to Salernitana at the weekend, managing a second successive 1-1 draw in Serie A following an identical outcome against relegation-threatened Hellas Verona in their opening fixture of 2023. Playing on the road has not been Torino’s strong suit this season by any stretch of the imagination, with ‘I Granata’ suffering four defeats across their last seven competitive travels (W1, D2). What’s even more worrying is that Ivan Juric’s men have netted under 1.5 goals six times during that seven-game sequence, casting doubt on their capacity to halt a four-match scoring drought at San Siro.