AC MILAN v JUVENTUS: OPPONENT REVIEW

It's another big match for Pioli's AC Milan: Juventus arrive at San Siro on Saturday at 18:00 CEST, reinvigorated by the victories against Bologna in the league and Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League. Allegri's side, who closed the case at the Allianz Stadium against the Israelis with a 3-1 win and a brace from a renewed Adrien Rabiot (who scored for the first time in Serie A against AC Milan in July 2020), are confident and, above all, determined to reduce the deficit in the Serie A table, which now sees them seventh on 13 points, but only four behind the Diavolo. Speaking of points, it is precisely those away from home that the Bianconeri lack, who in their last five league games away from home have drawn twice and lost three. It is certainly an unusual performance for the Bianconeri, who have not gone several away matches in a row without a win in the league since the period between July and October 2020 (three draws and three defeats between the end of Pirlo's management and the beginning of Sarri's). 

If we talk about individual coaches, however, we have to go back to 12 years ago, when Alberto Zaccheroni's Juventus recorded - between March and May 2010 - five defeats and a draw in six consecutive away matches. Snatching the three points at the San Siro for Allegri's team would also mean clinching two wins in a row for the first time this season - the most recent was in April-May last year (vs Sassuolo and Venezia). Finally, a glance must be given to the Bianconeri's goals, in particular, those conceded: Juventus have in fact kept their sheet clean four times this season in eight matches, after finishing the last tournament with eight consecutive matches with at least one goal conceded. The motivations are evident, and the spectacle seems more predictable than ever.

DEAD BALLS AND CROSSES: JUVENTUS IS THE LEADER IN SET PIECES
Eight games and five goals from set-pieces: in this Serie A, Juventus, along with Napoli, undoubtedly leads in scoring from set-pieces. The Bianconeri have managed one goal from the penalty spot, two from direct free kicks, one from an indirect free kick and one from a corner kick (in the last match against Bologna), which, translated into percentages, are worth 42% of the total (5/12), a record in the current competition. The specialities of Allegri's men come from (well) set-pieces: first in the tournament for chances created from set-pieces are Cuadrado (five), Paredes and Miretti (three); first, instead, for successful crosses (corners included) are Kostić (nine) and Cuadrado (eight).

It is no coincidence that, including corners, only Napoli and Udinese (both five) have scored more goals from crosses than Juventus (four). A statistic that could be worth double in Saturday's clash, because on the contrary, no team has conceded more in this way than Milan in the competition (four like Inter and Verona).

MILIK THIRD IN AVERAGE GOALS, VLAHOVIĆ-KOSTIĆ LETHAL PARTNERSHIP
A delicate 90 minutes lie ahead for the AC Milan defenders at San Siro on Saturday. Against the Bianconeri's attack, it is essential to have maximum attention and no blunders. There are several dangers for Tomori and his teammates, but three deserve special mention: Milik, Vlahović and Kostić. The Pole comes into the big match with a couple of not-so-insignificant figures: the first concerns the minutes/goal average this season among those who have already scored at least two. In this special list, the bianconero is third (one every 78 minutes) behind the direct opponent Rebić (one every 49) and Beto (one every 66). The second refers precisely to Milik against AC Milan: his first two goals in Serie A came against the Diavolo (a brace in a Napoli shirt on 27 August 2016), an opponent he has never lost to (2W, 3D).

Second name, certainly not in terms of dangerousness, that of Dušan Vlahović. It is true that only at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia (four) has the Serbian played more matches in Serie A without scoring than at the San Siro (three). He has, also, suffered three defeats in three appearances at this stadium in the competition; but it is equally true that five of the 12 goals scored by Juventus in this championship were scored by him, which also came in the Champions League match against Maccabi. Five goals for the 22-year-old, who seems to have found chemistry with Milik in Allegri's canonical 4-4-2, and who is already perfect with Kostić. The two have played a part in eight of the Bianconeri's 12 goals in the league: five goals for Dušan Vlahović, two assists and one goal for the former Eintracht man (thanks to his compatriot's move into the number 9 shirt).

The PUMA AC Milan Kits for the 2022/23 season are available: get yours now!