Serie A Preview: Milan - Juventus
Who: Milan (9th, 17 points) vs Juventus (2nd, 25 points)
When: 19:30 UK, Saturday December 1
Where: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
Milan
Looking To End Home Hoodoo. Milan come into this game knowing that anything less than a win will effectively rule them out of the Scudetto race.
The Rossoneri have made their worst start to a Serie A season since Silvio Berlusconi took over the club more than two decades ago.
Despite last Sunday’s 2-1 win at Cagliari, Milan remain a whopping 11 points behind league-leaders and city-rivals Inter.
Languishing in a disappointing ninth position, they also trail Saturday’s opponents Juventus by eight points.
The main factor in this poor start has been Milan’s awful home record. In six league games at San Siro this term, they have yet to win, drawing four, losing two, and scoring just three goals.
This in direct contrast to their away form where they have won four and drawn one from six matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just five.
The European Champions have received a blow however with the news that Ronaldo has been ruled out of the game after picking up a calf injury before the Champions League game with Benfica in midweek.
Juventus Flying High
Claudio Ranieri's men travel to San Siro brimming with confidence following their magnificent 5-0 thrashing of Palermo last week.
That scoreline proved that Juventus have a quartet of strikers that only Inter can match in Serie A. David Trezeguet has made the best start to a club season in his entire career and is way ahead at the top of the scorers charts with 11 goals in 13 games.
Vincenzo Iaquinta, who like Trez also scored against Palermo, has made a brilliant start to life in Turin following his summer move from Udinese. The 28-year-old has already hit the back of the net six times in just nine appearances.
Alessandro Del Piero came off the bench against the Rosanero and put in a magical cameo performance, scoring twice and creating another. The Golden Boy now has five goals this campaign. Finally Raffaele Palladino is also in excellent form, having recently made his debut for the Italian national team.
The Bianconeri certainly have enough firepower to worry Milan on Saturday, while in midfield, which has been a weak-point at times, Pavel Nedved is looking sharp again.
Juve were expected to struggle this season following their post-Calciopoli promotion from Serie B, however they have surprised everyone to launch themselves into second in the table.
Indeed had it not been for a string of controversial refereeing decisions in the games against Napoli and Parma, they would probably be top of the table now.
An intriguing clash awaits us at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday evening.
TEAM NEWS
Milan
The Rossoneri are certainly without the injured Ronaldo, Marek Jankulovski and Emerson. Pippo Inzaghi is suffering from tonsillitis but should be fit to return.
Clarence Seedorf respectively picked up an ankle injury during Milan’s Champions League game with Benfica but should pull through.
Milan (probable): Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Serginho; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Kaka; Gilardino
Juventus
Juve welcome back Giorgio Chiellini from suspension, however Jean-Alain Boumsong, Jorge Andrade and Zdenek Grygera are sidelined through injury.
Mauro Camoranesi is struggling with severe muscle fatigue but the Bianconeri doctors will do all they can to get him fit.
The big selection conundrum for Coach Claudio Ranieri is up-front as all four strikers, David Trezeguet, Alessandro Del Piero, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Raffale Palladino are in red-hot form. The Tinkerman’s choice could hinge on whether he opts for a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 system.
Juventus (probable): Buffon; Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Nocerino, Zanetti, Nedved; Trezeguet, Iaquinta
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kaka (Milan)
The Brazilian superstar is set to be crowned as the new European Footballer of the Year on Sunday evening and will want to put on a show against Juventus before he heads out to Paris to collect his prize.
Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
The Golden Boy looked fitter and leaner than ever during his magical cameo performance against Cagliari last weekend. The 33-year-old could again be an important trump card from the bench in this one too.
PREDICTION
Milan may have one eye on the upcoming Club World Cup in Japan, which could be good news for Juve. I predict a 2-1 win for the Bianconeri with goals from Nedved and super-sub Del Piero.
Milan 1-2 Juventus