WOMEN, JUVENTUS v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

After the wins against Sassuolo and Freedom, this intense week for AC Milan ends with the most difficult match. The Rossonere will be up against the leaders Juventus in a clash that will bring the first half of the Serie A Women's eBay league to an end. An important and interesting clash which will test the growth of a young and ambitious team like that of Coach Bakker. The match is scheduled for Saturday 9 November at 16:00 CET, and we introduce it with our Match Preview. 

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Wins, good displays and lots of motivation. It's a good moment for the rossonere, who after a difficult start have managed to get their season back on track in the course of a few weeks and have shown that they have been able to display their hard work from training on the pitch. In this series of good matches, there hasn't been a big match where - above all against Fiorentina and Roma - until now we have got less than we deserved. In terms of the latest, there is no news in terms of available players, all eyes are on Ijeh (the Swede comes into the clash with three consecutive goals in the league) and on the youngsters Renzotti and Stokić, with the Serb having scored her first goal for the Rossonere in the Coppa Italia. 

Coach Bakker had this to say before the match in Biella: "After Wednesday's match in the Coppa Italia, where we showed positive signs in the second half, we now face Juventus, still unbeaten in Serie A. We are looking forward to this challenging opponent".

LATEST FROM JUVENTUS
After a summer filled with new arrivals, both within the roster as at the helm - Massimilano Canzi was appointed as Head Coach, in his first experience of women's football - the Bianconere started the season in a convincing manner, off the back of good results and displays. Almost a full collection of points in Italy (seven wins, including a 2-1 win over Roma and a 0-0 draw at Inter) with a one point lead over Fiorentina and a good start in Europe, with an initial win over PSG and three points after the first two games. During the week, Juventus got through the first stage of the Coppa Italia with four goals in the first 20 minutes away to Hellas Verona, and after a start with some defensive vulnerability the Bianconere have only conceded one goal in the last six games in Italy. No one is suspended or cautioned in a team which, in the Women's Serie A, have already got 12 different scorers with the veteran Cristiana Girelli as top scorer on four goals. 

"We're expecting a great game against AC Milan: they're developing, have a very precise style, play a good football and constantly growing", said Coach Canzi on the eve of the match. "It'll be a great but difficult game. The league is open and balanced, a league in which many teams are vying for top spot, and I'd include AC Milan in this group. We have to concentrate on this game, without thinking about anything else".

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• The previous meetings (13) in the league have been better for the Bianconere: eight wins for Juventus, two draws and three wins for AC Milan. If they win, however, the Rossonere would become the second team to beat Juventus in more than three matches in the Women's Serie A. 
• This match will be between the two sides that have conceded the least amount of goals in the 2024 calendar year, when it comes to matches in the Women's Serie A: 24 AC Milan, 25 Juventus. The Rossonere have won four of the last five in the league, conceding only three goals in that time. 
• Juventus are the side that have scored the most goals from dead ball situations in the top five European leagues (10) and the side in Serie A that have scored the most from crosses; on the other hand AC Milan are (along with Roma and Sampdoria) the side that have conceded the least goals from dead balls and one of the two - Como being the other - to have not conceded from a cross. 
• At Biella, we will see two of the youngest players with at least one assist currently in Serie A (Schatzer for Juventus and Renzotti for AC Milan, both born in 2005). It's worth highlighting Ijeh's form as she has the highest number of goals in this period among the whole team (four from eight), in addition the Rossonere have two of the top three when it comes to touches of the ball: Piga (first with 661) and Soffia (third with 551). 

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN ON TV
In Italy, Juventus v AC Milan will be shown on DAZN at 16:00 CET. Don't miss the coverage on acmilan.com, the rossonere's Instagram account and the AC Milan Official App, where the full replay will be available from the following day. 

LATEST FROM WOMEN'S SERIE A
Dario Di Francesco, referee from the Ostia Lido section, will officiate the game at Biella. Zezza (Ostia Lido) and Minafra (Roma 2) will be the linesmen, as well as the fourth official being Pani from Sassari. 

Matchday 9 in the league, last game of the first half of the season. Other than Juventus v AC Milan, scheduled for Saturday 9, there will be another big match - Roma v Fiorentina at 14:00 CET -  and the clash between Sassuolo and Sampdoria at 18:00 CET. On Sunday 10, Como take on Napoli (12:30 CET) while Inter face Lazio (15:00 CET).  

The current league standings in Women's Serie A: Juventus 22; Fiorentina 21; Inter and Roma 15; AC Milan 13; Como 10; Lazio 6; Napoli 5; Sampdoria 3; Sassuolo 1.

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