AC Milan vs Juventus - Competition: Italian Serie A
Match date: 20 September 2014
Kick Off Time: 19:45 BST - 18:45 GMT
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Match date: 20 September 2014
Kick Off Time: 19:45 BST - 18:45 GMT
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
AC Milan have drawn praise for their start to the season. Firing on all cylinders with 8 goals in just 2 games,
they now sit atop the Italian Serie A in 1st place. The start to the
season is in stark contrast to that of last term, when the Rossoneri
accumulated a paltry 19 points in the first half of the year. They went
on to enjoy a much-improved second half however, finishing with 57
points and a top half of the table finish (8th). But surprisingly, it
wasn’t enough for former player Clarence Seedorf to keep his job, and
the experiment ended when they terminated his contract in June 2014. But
in steps Filippo Inzaghi, also a former Milan player,
who moved quickly in the transfer window to secure some strong signings.
Adil Rami, Pablo Ramero, and Nigel de Jong were brought in to sure up the defensive side of the ball, while Marco van Ginkel, Fernando Torres, and Jeremy Menez
were added to a much-improved attack. Menez netted a brace last time
out, and it appears the Rossoneri are once again on the up. However,
they aren’t at Juventus’ standard yet, and a draw at home would likely
be taken gladly by Inzaghi and his men, especially considering they look
set to be without last match’s starting centre-back duo Alex (injury) and Daniele Mendez (suspension) as well as starting goalkeeper Diego Lopez.
Juventus team enter the third matchweek in an
unfamiliar 2nd place spot. But that is only due to point differential
and they will look to make a strong statement to Milan that they are no
longer the top dogs in Serie A.
While they haven’t looked overly impressive in their start to the
season, they’ve still managed to win all 3 of their competitive matches
while shutting out every opponent. They now have 7 straight clean sheets in all competitions
dating back to last season, but that streak will come under fire here
against the new-look Rossoneri who have scored 8 goals in 2 contests.
Furthermore, the visitors will still be without their top defender in Giorgio Chiellini due to suspension, and both Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo
are questionable for this match. However, the former looks set to give
it a go and will face a late fitness test, and his presence would be a
critical boon for the Old Lady. Over the midweek, Juventus dispatched
Malmo FF in Champions League action, seeing Carlos Tevez
net both goals in a 2:0 victory. That performance will lend the
Argentinian a big confidence boost headed into the weekend, and that
could spell trouble for a potentially absent-riddled defence for the
hosts.
Probable lineups:
AC Milan: Abbiati – Abate, Rami, Zapata, de Sciglio – Poli, de Jong, Muntari – Honda, Menez, Bonaventura
Juventus: Buffon – Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini – Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Marchisio, Pereyra, Asamoah – Llorente, Tevez.
You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]
Probable lineups:
AC Milan: Abbiati – Abate, Rami, Zapata, de Sciglio – Poli, de Jong, Muntari – Honda, Menez, Bonaventura
Juventus: Buffon – Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini – Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Marchisio, Pereyra, Asamoah – Llorente, Tevez.
You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]
