Italy Round 9

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Milan vs Juventus Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Milan:
Mirante; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Florenzi; Musah, Adli, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao

Juventus:
Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; McKennie, Miretti, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Milik, Vlahovic

The rivalry between Juventus and Milan is very big. Both teams rank among the most successful clubs in the Italian football history and often compete for all major domestic honors. It is the oldest running and most played Italian derby, having been dated since 1901.

Milan are in excellent form, having won seven of their eight opening fixtures. They are first on the table and I believe the fans are satisfied. Milan started the new season with three victories. First they recorded a 2:0 win against Bologna, then outplayed Torino with 4:1 at San Siro and beat 2:1 Roma at Olimpico. Olivier Giroud was the key name in the process, scoring in each of those games. But then came a catastrophe, Milan suffered a 5:1 defeat to city rivals Inter. Many pundits were suspicious about Milan's real power, while some of them insisted the Rossoneri need a better coach. Nevertheless, four victories in a row silenced them all and showed Milan are genuine title pretenders. Stefano Pioli's men managed to beat Verona, Cagliari, Lazio and Genoa. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent, while the players confidence is very high. However, this will be a genuine test for Milan and their ambitions. Pioli has one big worry ahead of this match as first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan must serve a suspension following his dismissal in Genoa and summer signing Marco Sportiello is injured. In addition, full-back Theo Hernandez is also suspended, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is rated as doubtful due to an adductor problem.

Juventus are in very complicated situation. The record 36-time Italian champions were accused of fixing their balance sheets by inflating transfer fees. As a result, they are outside European competitions this season. But there is another problem, connected with illegal gambling activities of some players. Nicolo Fagioli is one of the players under investigation. The 22-year-old Fagioli is alleged to have used a variety of identities to place bets on illegal websites. The atmosphere in the squad is not at desired level. However, the actual form is good, the Old Lady have two victories and one draw on the last three matches in Serie A. Coach Alegri has some problems as the Brazilian defensive duo Danilo and Alex Sandro will be unavailable. Nicolo Fagioli is facing a seven-month ban and it will be a big surprise if he play in the next period. Paul Pogba will also be suspended for a long period after the positive doping test. Three strikers (Milik, Vlahovic and Chiesa) are battling for two starting spots. According to the latest news, Milik and Vlahovic are expected to start, but I think Alegri must use Chiesa. He has been directly involved in more Serie A away goals against Milan than any other team, with three of his own and as many assists. In addition, Chiesa has registered a goal or assist on five of his league games versus the Rossoneri at San Siro.

Milan vs Juventus Prediction:

I think Milan are closer to the victory. They are leaders on the table and they are in excellent form, winning the last four matches in Serie A. The home advantage should not be underestimated too. But most of all, this is a bet against Juventus. The actual moment is very complicate for the Bianconeri. Nicolo Fagioli is under investigation for illegal gambling activities, while Pogba failed the doping test. Milan should take advantage from Juventus problems.

Milan vs Juventus Pick: Milan to win @ 2.33 with Pinnacle