AC MILAN v TORINO: MATCH PREVIEW
Serie A
The pace of the season is always very high, and the Rossoneri face a new test of their maturity. AC Milan, now co-leaders along with Napoli, host Ivan Jurić's Torino at San Siro in one of the three early matches of the tenth round of Serie A. An important match, which precedes the three big matches against Roma, Porto and Inter: kick-off is set for 20:45 CEST, and while we wait we look ahead to tonight’s battle with our usual Match Preview.
THE LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Morale is high at the home of the Rossoneri, thanks to the five straight wins in the league that have earned them a place alongside Napoli at the top of the standings. Compared to Saturday's victory in Bologna, Coach Pioli will also be happy for the returns of Hernández (negative for COVID-19 and back amongst the group), Kessie, and Pellegri. The list of unavailable players is still long, but some major alternatives being available could lead to changes in the starting eleven.
"Torino are a good side and are playing really well at the moment. Jurić is doing a fantastic job, as he did with Verona, and it will be a tough game", commented Coach Pioli on the eve of the match. He continued: "I expect Torino to be combative and positive, as they have been in recent matches. We know what to expect; they have a strong squad and are doing well. We'll have to play well from a technical standpoint, and we can't let Torino have anything".
LATEST ON TORINO
The Granata come into this one after last Friday's important 3-2 win against Genoa, one that allowed Jurić's team to return to winning ways after four games without one. The eleven points in the standings don't tell the whole picture of a dangerous team that is not to be underestimated, despite many important absentees: Christian Ansaldi picked up an injury last weekend and will join the injury list alongside Edera, Mandragora, Pjaca and Verdi. Torino have often adopted the 3-4-2-1 formation since the start of the season: against Genoa, they lined up with Milinković-Savić in goal; Djidji, Bremer and Rodríguez in defence; Singo, Lukić, Pobega and Ansaldi - probably replaced by Ola Aina tonight - in midfield; Linetty and Brekalo supported the lone striker Sanabria, with Andrea Belotti ready to take over in the second half.
"AC Milan are a complete and modern team, with many players perfect for today's football", said Ivan Jurić at his press conference. "They are a team that can score goals from anywhere on the pitch and are dangerous on the counterattack. We have to face them as we played against Napoli and Juventus, trying to be a little more concrete: there’s a lot to improve".
PRE-MATCH
AC Milan v Torino is a match whose recent meetings have often favoured the Rossoneri, unbeaten in their last 25 league games played at San Siro. Two wins from of two matches also last season: 2-0 at San Siro thanks to goals by Leão and Kessie, and a resounding 7-0 away win on May 12 at the Olimpico, with Rebić getting a hat-trick, Hernández a brace, and a goal each for Kessie and Díaz. Compared to five months ago, the Granata are another team, and in the first nine games they have recorded three wins (Salernitana, Sassuolo away, and Genoa), two draws (Lazio and Venezia) and four defeats (Atalanta, Fiorentina, Juventus, and Napoli) but all with just a goal in it. Despite the favourable head-to-head record, this treacherous challenge is to be faced with the utmost concentration.
SERIE A LATEST
The 41-year-old Gianluca Aureliano, from the Bologna section, will referee AC Milan v Torino: after 19 career matches in Serie A, this will be his first involving the Rossoneri. On the other hand, he has refereed matches involving Torino on three occasions, including the 4-0 victory over Salernitana on 12 September. The Bolognese referee will be assisted by the linesmen Colarossi and Paganessi and by the fourth official Zufferli, while Massa will be in charge of VAR, assisted by Giua.
AC Milan v Torino will be one of the early fixtures on the tenth matchday of Serie A, the second to be played midweek. Opening the round at 18:30 CEST will be Spezia v Genoa and Venezia v Salernitana. Tomorrow's schedule is tasty one: at 18:30 CEST we have Juventus v Sassuolo, Sampdoria v Atalanta and Udinese v Hellas Verona, while at 20:45 CEST there will be Cagliari v Roma, Empoli v Inter and Lazio v Fiorentina. The last fixture of the round will be Napoli v Bologna, on Thursday at 20:45 CEST
The current standings in Serie A is as follows: Napoli, AC Milan 25; Inter 18; Roma 16, Atalanta, Juventus, Fiorentina 15; Lazio 14; Bologna, Empoli 12; Verona, Torino, Sassuolo 11; Udinese 10; Sampdoria 9; Venezia 8; Spezia 7; Genoa, Cagliari 6; Salernitana 4.
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