AC MILAN v JUVENTUS: THE BRIEFING

It can happen in many ways, each time with something different, but it will always be AC Milan v Juventus. It’s worth 3 points, or maybe more. It can reveal the road to come. It is almost the end of October, a quarter of the way through the season, not long enough to decide the final aims but enough to give strong indications. In the Briefing, we will analyse the details of matchday 9 at San Siro, scheduled for 22 October at 20:45 CEST.

MANAGING THE RESTART
The first element to consider is universal rather than tactical—the value of a big match and how high the stakes are. AC Milan have two important factors to take advantage of on the pitch. Where they are in the standings, or rather, their current form: 4 wins in a row and sitting alone at the top of the table. Then, the stadium, because San Siro has shown that it helps win points for a long time now; even against Juventus in recent history. The Bianconeri have recently recovered their form and won the Torino derby, but they sit on 4 points fewer than AC Milan and have struggled with team performance. The real issue, however, is the international break that has put the momentum on pause and made the meeting harder to predict. The previous break hurt the Rossoneri, suffering the defeat to Inter in the first game back that has been their only big mistake so far. It will be a delicate restart, the beginning of a tour de force that will also include the Champions League. The perfect approach will be to manage energy levels and aim to win as many points as possible.

THE DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE
Absences will force both coaches to make some changes in defence. AC Milan has to leave out Maignan, Sportiello and Hernández, whilst Juventus can’t play Danilo (or Alex Sandro and De Sciglio). Ready instead for the Rossoneri are Mirante and Florenzi, and for the Bianconeri, Rugani. It will be a new debut for Mirante, whilst Florenzi has already shown his skills coming into this season and as a left-back, he helped out in the Winter of 2022 (in the 1-0 wins over Sampdoria and Empoli). Rugani has only played 78 minutes so far but has proven reliable. Everything could depend on the performances of these players and the behaviour of the backline in general that will have to play under more pressure and with more attention in a game like this. 

FOCUS ON THE WINGS
Movement down the wing, finding space to attack. It will be a key tactic for the Rossoneri, but also for the Vecchia Signora. Leão and Pulisic, work in tandem to always find the solution to scoring (watch the 1-0 goal against Lazio). In total, they have produced 7 goals and 4 assists, beating “alone” the entire Hellas Verona and Genoa squads. Pioli’s team rely heavily on them for creating action in the game. Kostić, Weah and Cambiaso are also important on the wings, they will be tight and dangerous in front of Allegri’s squad: and McKennie is showing himself on the right for Juventus. If free, they will all have the chance to attack and push forward on their own. But if they are held back by Juventus’ marking, they will have to rely on their teammates: the strikers Giroud and Vlahović as well as the midfielders Reijnders, Musah and Rabiot.

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