Opinion: Three keys to victory for Juventus in Saturday’s clash vs Milan | OneFootball

Following a two-week hiatus, the Serie A campaign will resume with one of the biggest fixtures of the season, as Milan and Juventus lock horns at San Siro

The Bianconeri and the Rossoneri sit sixth and seventh in the league standings, but this doesn’t tell the full story. After all, Juve are only two points behind current league leaders Napoli, while Milan still had their moments this season, albeit they’re lacking consistency.

Therefore, a thrilling tactical battle between Paulo Fonseca and Thiago Motta is upon us, and it will interesting to see who will outfox the other.

But in the meantime, let’s delve into three factors that could help the Old Lady prevail on enemy territory.

Agility & Speed

With Dusan Vlahovic ruled out of the contest, Motta will resort to Timothy Weah in the striker’s role. The American might be a winger by trade, but what he lacks in physicality, he makes up for it with his blistering speed.

And if we add Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Coneicao to the equation, we get an extremely quick attacking unit composed of players who can interchange positions and give no reference points to the opposition.

This could be a nightmarish scenario for the shaky and slow Milan defense.

Draw them in

In his pre-match press conference, Fonseca reiterated how his players tend to do better against bigger oppositions than smaller ones. And with wins over Inter and Real Madrid, it’s hard to argue against his theory.

In both of these two famous victories, the Rossoneri had a ball possession of 43%, meaning they didn’t mind being deprived of the ball and inflicting damage on the counterattack. On the other hand, the Diavolo found difficulties against “provincial” Serie A clubs who sit deep and wait for a chance to swarm on Fonseca’s leaky defenses.

But while Juventus are too big to barrow a gameplan from the likes of Cagliari or Parma, it should be noted that Napoli beat Milan at San Siro by two unanswered goals and with a ball possession of just 38%.

Hence, leaving the initiative to Milan might not be a terrible idea for Juventus, especially when you have Conceicao, Weah and Yildiz ready to pounce on counterattacks.

The Extra Man

With the two teams expected to mirror each other with an almost identical 4-2-3-1 system, the small details could make all the difference in the midfield battle.

Fonseca will likely unleash Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders in the double pivot with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in front of them, while Motta will resort to Teun Koopmeiners, supported by Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram.

With so much physical presence in the middle of the park, a deadlock could ensue. This is why Andrea Cambiaso’s diagonal insertions could prove vital, as he can act as an additional midfielder and support his teammates whenever required.

The Italy international is one of the most important cards at Motta’s disposal, and it remains to be seen if he’ll prove decisive once more.