AC Milan host Juventus in Serie A
Two teams in Serie A's top five will go head-to-head as Juventus travel to the San Siro Stadium to take on AC Milan on Saturday October 30.
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AC Milan are coming off back-to-back wins in Serie A against teams that have both been in the top five in Italy at some point this season. They defeated Napoli 2-1 last week, and Chievo 3-1 two weeks ago. Milan currently sit alone in second spot in Serie
A a mere two points behind league leaders Lazio.
Milan were unfortunately drawn in the Champions League's group of death where they recently suffered their first loss – a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Juventus have managed to turn things around since 2006's match fixing scandal which sent them to Serie B. Juventus have been one of Italy's most successful clubs with 27 national titles, and have once again climbed the table to become contenders. After finishing
seventh last season and qualifying for UEFA's Europa League, Juventus are currently tied with Napoli for fifth place in Serie A as they look to compete for a spot in next season's Champions League.
Juventus had to settle for a frustrating 0-0 draw with Bologna in their last match in Serie A, and they are still looking for their first win in Europe this season after three consecutive draws in the Europa League including a 1-1 draw most recently with
Austrian side Salzburg.
Players to watch
Milan's midfield trio of Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, and Clarence Seedorf are the men that Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri usually calls upon to maintain the pace of any game. Up front they are led by a trio of world class international strikers in
Swedish-born Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilians Robinho and Alexandre Pato. Milan have always been known for their staunch defending and they've only conceded six goals thus far in Serie A and are led at the back by veteran defender Alessandro Nesta.
Juventus' star strikers, Alessandro Del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta both started last week's game on the bench. Both came on as substitutes with Iaquinta even missing a penalty. Neither managed to find the target in their most recent Champions League game
either and both can expect to be under the microscope for Saturday's game.
Juventus' Serbian midfielder Milos Krasic has been a bright spot for his team this season. He scored the team's only goal in their draw with Salzburg, after coming on as a substitute, and has been effective in providing an offensive spark for the team in
just about every game.
What to expect
Juventus have it all to play for if they hope to prove that they really are serious contenders for the title. They'll also be hoping that Milan will be looking too far forward to their return meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday
November 3.
If AC Milan pull even a single punch Juventus will capitalize.
In what should be a tentatively played, and defensive, affair Juventus will sneak away with a 1-0 win.
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