AC Milan vs Torino

Stadio San Siro forms the backdrop for an exciting 2024/25 Serie A opener between AC Milan and Torino.

Despite securing a runner-up finish in Serie A last term, Milan never tested Inter’s title credentials, finishing a whopping 19 points behind their arch-rivals in Stefano Pioli’s final season in charge. After two disappointing league campaigns, ‘I Rossoneri’ parted with the Scudetto-winning manager in June and replaced him with former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca. The Portuguese tactician oversaw a superb United States tour, with Milan getting the better of Manchester City, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. The 19-time Italian champions thrashed Monza 3-1 in their final pre-season runout earlier this week, bolstering their confidence ahead of this fixture. Well-versed in delivering high-flying starts, the hosts have commenced their last four Serie A seasons with a win. Another triumph is on the cards, considering their formidable top-flight home run against upcoming rivals Torino (W20, D8).

Though they succumbed to a woeful 4-1 defeat in this corresponding fixture last term, Torino claimed their revenge against Milan with a 3-1 home win in May en route to a decent-looking ninth-place finish. Interestingly, ‘I Granata’ sneaked into the top half of the table, even though only three teams netted fewer Serie A goals than Torino’s 36 last season. The visitors hope to entertain their fans this term after going separate ways with Croatian manager Ivan Juric. Juric’s successor, Paolo Vanoli, helped Venezia earn top-flight promotion in 2023/24 and embarked on his Torino journey with a 2-0 Coppa Italia win against Cosenza last weekend. His first assignment on the new job is to address Torino’s notorious problems against top clubs on the road, which saw them lose all eight away league matches against teams that finished above them in the standings last season by a combined score of 19-3.