AC Milan vs. Juventus needs no introduction to football fans across the globe. Year in and year out, it’s one of the most anticipated fixtures on the Serie A calendar, and it’s no different this season. Stefano Pioli’s side will play the role of hosts as the Bianconeri head back to San Siro for the first time since their Jan. 12 Supercoppa defeat to Inter Milan, needing a win to work their way back into the top-four race in Italy.
AC Milan, on the other hand, are looking to bounce back after a shocking defeat to Spezia Calcio on Monday, with a tough stretch of fixtures ahead, including the Milan derby on Feb. 6. Back-to-back losses or two losses in three games would be a massive hurdle in their hopes of winning their first scudetto since 2010-11.
Here’s what you need to know:
Viewing information
Date: Sunday, Jan. 23 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: San Siro — Milan, Italy
TV and live stream: Paramount+
Odds: AC Milan +170; Draw +215; Juventus +175 (via Caesar’s Sportsbook)
Featured Game | AC Milan vs. Juventus
Storylines
AC Milan: Emmanuel Gyasi late winner for Spezia sent shockwaves across the Rossoneri faithful and the rest of the league, with Inter Milan getting a boost in their bid to repeat and Napoli regaining an ounce of hope just two points back of second. Pioli’s side desperately needs to recover both from a moral and results standpoint. Failing to take first from Inter Milan after they drew against Atalanta could prove to be the turning point of the season. A win over Juventus is the perfect opportunity to show everyone that last week’s match was just a blip on the radar and not a cause for concern.
Juventus: After the Supercoppa defeat, Juventus had several key players return and got back to winning ways with wins over Udinese (2-0) in Serie A and Sampdoria (4-1) in the Coppa Italia. They’re on the right path with four wins and a draw in the previous five league games. With Leonardo Bonucci still recovering from his muscular injury, Allegri will need to rely on captain Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt in the defense. Juventus desperately need a trademark performance that we’ve seen in years past. A statement win in a crunch fixture would complete their midseason turnaround and make them clear-cut contenders for one of the top four Champions League spots in Italy.
Prediction
AC Milan still have several issues in defense due to the absences of injured players like Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori. Juventus showed improvements as of late and Massimiliano Allegri hopes to achieve an important result against his former club. PICK: AC Milan 1 Juventus 1
