TORINO v AC MILAN: THE BRIEFING

AC Milan's season 2023/24 season is approaching its final stretch, and the Torino stage will represent the penultimate appointment. Matchday 37 of Serie A will not impact the Rossoneri's achievement this season, however it's a match not devoid of points of interest. We propose three of them in our usual Briefing.

THE FIRST GAME AS A BLUEPRINT
From Torino... to Torino. The Granata were the first home challenge of our season and will be our last away game. Since the 4-1 at the end of August, much has changed in the season of the two teams. While the Rossoneri have had a season rich in goals (as in the first encounter), Jurić's group has stood out for the high number of 0-0 draws, a total of 9, and for their excellent defensive performance generally. AC Milan are the team that have managed to score the most against Torino in a single match this season, and building on the qualities shown in that evening at San Siro is certainly the basis for aiming to get three points. Back then, a compact and aggressive team took to the field when not in possession, dynamic and proactive when creating goal-scoring opportunities. Playing without pressure, without league objectives to achieve but with the desire to honour our journey in this championship to the fullest, we can produce a game like in the reverse fixture, collecting what would still be an important result in a difficult environment to play in.

NUMBER 9'S COMPARED
Torino v AC Milan will also be the showdown between the two centre-forwards, Duván Zapata and Olivier Giroud. Experienced attackers, both into double-digits for goals in the league (11 for the Colombian, 14 for the Frenchman) and whose importance goes beyond excellent offensive statistics. Indeed, both are capable of leading the attack against opposing defences, creating opportunities and laying off balls to elevate the offensive potential of the Granata and the Rossoneri. The challenge Matchday 37 brings, for Zapata and Giroud, is the opportunity to break two droughts that have persisted for some time. The Colombian has not scored at home since 16 February (2-0 against Lecce), while the Frenchman has not scored away from home since the same matchday (24), from the Rossoneri's defeat in Monza. This statistical opportunity can ignite a very interesting individual duel, also because the two protagonists will have to face physical and formidable defenders. For Zapata, the challenge against the Rossoneri duo of Thiaw and Tomori; for Giroud, the possible duel with Granata captain Buongiorno.

VERSATILE KEEPERS, IN THE BUILD-UP AND BETWEEN THE STICKS
A common point between the teams of Jurić and Pioli is the high degree of involvement of goalkeepers in the build-up play from the back. Both the Granata's Milinković-Savić and the Rossoneri's Maignan, who returned to training this week and is expected to start at the Olimpico Grande Torino, are very skilled goalkeepers in ball distribution and footwork, capable of providing added value for Torino and AC Milan not only through their performances between the posts. The two opponents have different defensive setups (Toro plays with three at the back, AC Milan with four) but both build from the back, with the ball on the ground, and transition into the offensive phase. Milinković-Savić and Maignan are crucial not only for their contribution in terms of build-up play, as they are two of the best goalkeepers in Serie A in terms of save percentages. The Serbian is also the joint-top for clean sheets this season. In what could also be a tightly contested and highly tactical challenge, due to the different characteristics of Torino and AC Milan, the best-performing goalkeeper could be key to any success.

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