Italy Round 9

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Milan vs Juventus Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Milan:
Tatarusanu; Dest, Kalulu, Tomori, Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Krunic, Diaz, Leao; Giroud

Juventus:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria, Vlahovic, Milik

The rivalry between Milan vs Juventus is very big. It is the oldest clash still played in Italy since 1901, and it is the most played derby in Italy. Just to mention, Milan and Turin are the largest cities in northwestern Italy and, together with Genoa, members of the so-called industrial triangle, the socio-economic region that had the greatest sports development in the country. Both teams have won 55 trophies in Serie A - Juventus won the Scudetto 36 times, while Milan 19. As of 23 January 2022, a total of 237 official matches were played between these two teams. Juventus are more successful with 92 victories, while Milan have 68. The points were shared on 77 occasions, including both last season's mutual games - 1:1 at Allianz Stadium and 0:0 at San Siro.

Milan are sharing the fourth place with Lazio. Both teams have 17 points, three less than co-leaders Napoli and Atalanta. Three points are not too much, but something else is a bigger problem - Milan are not in best form at the moment. The Rossoneri have two defeats on the last three matches across all competitions. The lost 2:1 to Napoli in Serie A and lost 3:0 to Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday. The last defeat could somehow be "swallowed" due to the absence of some important players. Coach Pioli is still without lot of players - goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Divock Origi, Junior Messias, Alessandro Florenzi, Alexis Saelemaekers, Simon Kjaer and Davide Calabria are unavailable. Full-back Theo Hernandez could be ready in time for the derby.

Juventus have started the new season in very inconsistent way. They are seventh with 13 points, four less than Milan. Just three victories from eight matches in Serie A is simply a poor result. Coach Alegri came under huge pressure after the painful defeat at Monza, but two victories in the last seven days have improved the atmosphere in the club. The Old Lady first outplayed 3:0 Bologna and then won 3:1 against Maccabi Haifa in Champions League. Dusan Vlahovic found the back of the net on both matches and he will try to continue his scoring form. But playing away from home is a big problem. Juve are yet to win a match on road and just once in the last 40 years they failed to win any of their first four. Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa remain long-term absentees, while Mattia De Sciglio is out after suffered a thigh injury on Wednesday,

Milan vs Juventus Prediction:

I think Juventus will remain unbeaten at San Siro. The actual form is the key reason for my pick. While Milan suffered two defeats on the last three matches, Juventus are in series of two victories in which they scored six goals. Vlahovic, Milik and Kostic are in good form and I expect a positive result for the Bianconeri.

Milan vs Juventus Pick: Juventus +0.5 AH @ 1.79 with Pinnacle