Serie A: AC Milan vs. Juventus Preview, Odds, Prediction

Milan and Juventus meet on Saturday afternoon at San Siro. This is arguably one of the biggest derbies not only in Italy but Europe as well, because it is between the two European champions and two of the most successful teams in Italian competitions. Milan lost the last contest, which was on the road, in London against Chelsea. Meanwhile, Juventus was better than Maccabi at home. The difference in the standings is four points between these two units, with Milan holding the fifth position and Juve sitting seventh.

Preview

AC Milan (+105) lost at Stamford 3-0 on Wednesday. It was one of those days when everything went bad for Rossoneri who were blown into pieces in England. Simply, Stefano Pioli’s unit didn’t show up when needed the most, losing the battle in the midfield.

That was the second defeat in the previous three events, with the one before coming at home to Napoli, 1-2, and a win in between to Empoli on the road, 1-3. What is noticeable is that after six consecutive events with both teams netting, this one has been the first with goals only one end.

As for efficiency, six of the previous seven were with over 2.5 scores, which tells us that Rossoneri have an offensive-minded approach. Four of the most recent five at San Siro were either with over 2.5 goals or both teams netting.

Juventus (+260) has back-to-back wins following the international break, beating Bologna, 3-0, and then Maccabi Haifa, 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League. Though, this is nowhere near the expected level.

The Old Lady has been underachieving badly since the start of the campaign. Before these two wins, they had five consecutive wins without a win, losing thee and posting two draws, and overall managed to triumph in just one of seven contests throughout that period.

What is an even greater concern for the fans is the lack of success on the road, as Juve failed to win away from home since May this year. They opened the current season with two draws against Sampdoria and Fiorentina, then lost to PSG and Monza.

Latest News

Calabria, Kjaer, Florenzi, Ibrahimovic, Magnian and Saelemaekers are both out for this one. Theo Hernandes and Junior Messias are questionable.

On the other side, Chiesa, Ake, Kaio Jorge, Peeters, De Sciglio are out for sure, while Angel Di Maria’s status is doubtful, yet with low chances of appearing at San Siro.

Head to Head Games

Both games last year saw a draw, 1-1 in Turin and 0-0 in Milan. The all-time series saw 295 official encounters, including the exhibition ones, and Juve has 109 wins, Milan has 96 and 90 ended with draws.

Prediction

With the way Juventus plays these days, Milan is a favorite for a reason, even though they suffered a loss to Chelsea in London which looks pretty high. Our pick in this one would be the hosts, who are solid at home and have a more powerful attack than the Old Lady. The bookies have set the odds at +105 for Milan’s victory and we have to try it.

Pick: AC Milan wins +105