AC Milan vs Torino

AC Milan’s bid to wrestle back Serie A supremacy after handing over the Scudetto to Napoli last season continues at San Siro against perennial mid-table strugglers Torino.

Milan took last season’s woeful Scudetto defense personally, bringing as many as nine new players in the summer to rekindle their title ambitions after lifting their first Serie A crown in over a decade in 2021/22. One of the newcomers, Christian Pulisic, ran the show on the opening weekend as Stefano Pioli’s new-look side eased past Bologna 2-0 on the road after netting an unanswered brace within the opening 25 minutes. Another victory ‘to nil’ could be on the cards, with Milan going six consecutive home league meetings with Torino without conceding (W4, D2) since a 3-2 win in 2016. Adding to the hosts’ confidence, they’ve gone unbeaten in nine straight top-flight home outings (W5, D4) since going down to Sassuolo in January.

In the meantime, visiting Torino could only manage a dreadful 0-0 draw against newly-promoted Cagliari on day one, suggesting another season-long struggle in the lower reaches could be in store. Interestingly, no player from Ivan Juric’s starting line-up against Cagliari was born when Torino last won a league match at San Siro! However, there’s a silver lining as Torino finished last season with aplomb, racking up four consecutive away league wins ‘to nil.’ Those wins form part of an impressive six-game unbeaten run on the road (W5, D1), suggesting ‘I Granata’ could at least make Milan sweat for points. That’s not to mention they defeated ‘I Rossoneri’ 2-1 last season, albeit on home turf.