Juventus have fallen from great heights. In the 2008/09 season they only lost out to second place against today’s opponents Milan by goal difference; They haven’t been better than seventh since.
Juve’s late form is nothing to shout about on the face of it (they’ve won two and lost four of their past 6 games) although a 1-0 win here against Inter makes uncomfortable reading for the Rossoneri. while Juventus have a poor record against those below them in Serie A, they boast an unbeaten record against Milan, Inter and Roma this season.
The 2-0 loss to Lecce was followed by another horror show against Bologna – this time at the Delle Api. They didn’t fail to control the football, Vincenzo Iaquinta carving out the best scoring chance on the stroke of halftime, but in the end they were ruthlessly exposed on the counter attack – No team is better equipped to take advantage of that than Milan.
All hope is not lost for the Old Lady. Their bruising and physical midfield had plenty of success in the 2-1 reverse at the San Siro, with the likes of Gennaro Gattuso, Mark van Bommel, and Mathieu Flamini taking control.
Another key (for both sides) will be the wings. Aaron Lennon exposed AC’s appalling left back Ypres while Tottenham won there just three games ago and Krasic is good enough to do the same if he’s not doubled up on tonight; Jankovlsky’s no real replacement.
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| Milan (with Robiniho pictured) were impressive in beating Napoli 3-0 |
Things are a lot simpler for Serie A Leaders Milan. They sent out a clear message on Monday with their 3-0 win over Napoli at the San Siro, and will be aiming to do the same tonight. Their 28 points on their travels so far this term makes them Serie A’s best travellers, as well as having the best attack and defence in the Division, with a positive goal difference of 29. The visitors are on a 10-match unbeaten run in Serie A and they haven’ t tasted defeat away from San Siro since their shock Week 2 loss at Cesena.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still Milan's leading goalscorer in this league season, but Pato has been the Rossoneri's most dangerous player in recent weeks. The 21-year-old scored the winner in his side's win over Chievo two weeks ago and netted another goal in the 3-0 win over Napoli on Monday, as he put in a man-of-the-match performance.
He is so crucial because of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s record against Maurio Chiellini. The Swede hasn’t managed to score for a single time against Juventus with Chiellini on the pitch, and he faces the same test again here.
Juventus haven’t lost against the Italian “big three” this season but they’ve lost four of their last 6 and may be unable to stop a Milan side shooting for the Scudetto. AC have the best attack and defence in Serie A and can come away from a tight game at the Stadio Delle Api with their title hopes boosted yet again.
Advice
2 pts Milan to beat Juventus (6/4 Totesport, Stan James, Coral)
1 pt AC Milan 1-0 (15/2 Bwin)
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