Serie A Preview: Juventus vs Milan – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Familiar foes renew hostilities at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday late afternoon as Juventus take on Milan in a Serie A classic. Both teams have everything to play for as they try to claw their way back into contention for a coveted Champions League finish.

Juventus will be out to settle the score after letting a slender halftime lead slip through their fingers in a gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-finals. Thiago Motta’s side shot themselves in the foot after the break, allowing Milan to reach the final before ultimately lifting the trophy in Riyadh.

The record-time Italian champions resorted to their old habits upon their return from Saudi Arabia, drawing back-to-back league matches against Torino and Atalanta. Frustratingly for Motta, his side dropped points from winning positions on each occasion, and, as a result, they can no longer realistically hope to fight for the Scudetto.

With 13 points separating them from table-topping Napoli, Juventus must focus on securing Champions League football. They trail fourth-placed Lazio by only two points, while their upcoming rivals, Milan, face the uphill task of closing the gap on the top-four pace despite posting their first league win under Sergio Conceicao.

A game in hand on many direct rivals gives Milan hope they can haul back a five-point deficit after pulling off another sensational comeback to beat newcomers Como 2-1 on Tuesday. Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao staged an all-important turnaround at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia to keep the Rossoneri within striking distance of Lazio.

Match Preview

Juventus

Juventus have become synonymous with sharing the spoils during Motta’s early regime. Tuesday’s draw in Bergamo was their 13th in 20 Serie A outings this season (W7). Despite being the only unbeaten team in Italy’s top flight in 2024/25, a lack of victories has significantly compromised their lofty ambitions.

Another stalemate is a distinct possibility, considering Juventus’ last two league meetings with Milan ended goalless. Furthermore, Juventus have drawn seven of their ten Serie A games in Turin this season (W3), including the last three in a row, all of which produced an identical 2-2 scoreline.

Perhaps the new calendar year could bring a change of scenery as Juventus return to the Allianz Stadium for the first time since a goal-glutted draw against Fiorentina at the tail-end of 2024. However, it is worth noting that just one of Bianconeri’s three home league victories this season came against a top-half opposition.

Milan

Coming from behind to win has quickly become a theme for Milan under Conceicao. All three triumphs in the post-Paulo Fonseca era have seen the Rossoneri prevail despite conceding the opening goal, including remarkable Italian Super Cup wins against Inter and Juventus. But they’ve stuttered in Serie A.

Fans would be naive to let Milan’s record of just one defeat from their last ten league matches tuck them into a false sense of security. Milan only emerged victorious four times in that span (D5), with each win coming against teams from the bottom half of the standings. However, things are improving.

Milan beat Como in midweek Serie A action to record back-to-back away league wins for the first time this season. They can now make it three in a row for the first time since March 2024. Turin had never been a happy hunting ground for the Rossoneri until recently. Yet, they’ve avoided defeat on their last four top-flight visits to the Allianz Stadium (W2, D2).

Team News

In addition to the outgoing Danilo, Juventus will be without long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal, and Gleison Bremer. However, Douglas Luiz and Tim Weah are back to full fitness. The same goes for star striker Dusan Vlahovic, who’ll lead the line tomorrow.

As for Milan, Noah Okafor, Samu Chukwueze, and Alessandro Florenzi are unavailable for selection. Malick Thiaw and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also on the sidelines. To make things worse, Alvaro Morata picked up a disqualifying fifth yellow card against Como.

Juventus vs Milan Potential Starting Line-ups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, McKennie; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic.

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez; Fofana, Bennacer; Pulisic, Reijnders, Jimenez; Morata.

Juventus vs Milan Prediction

It’s virtually impossible to predict the outcome of this high-stakes match-up. The stakes are high, meaning both managers could take a conservative approach. Therefore, we can envisage another unpopular share of the spoils.