The highlight of Round 3 in Serie A is undoubtedly Juventus’s trip to the San Siro to face off against AC Milan. Last season, the outcome felt inevitable, and sure enough, the Old Lady won both games.
Milan vs. Juventus: Can Max Allegri triumph at his return to the San Siro?
Juventus and Milan are both perfect through two, but it’s the Rossoneri that have everyone talking. Can Max Allegri silence the chatter by pulling off a win upon his return to the San Siro?
But this time around, the new-look Rossoneri have made themselves the team to beat. They’ve already scored eight goals (although they’ve conceded five) by stuffing their attack full of pacey forwards. Best of all, they’ve booted Massimiliano Allegri and replaced him with Filippo Inzaghi, who better embodies the Milan spirit that’s been missing as of late.
Or so Milan says.
Allegri’s on his way back, though, now at the helm of Juventus. Thus far he’s not put a foot out of place, with two wins in Serie A and one in the Champions League. But oh, how the Rossoneri would love to topple the man who caused them such agony last season.
Team News
The hosts will miss Daniele Bonera, who picked up a second yellow in last weekend's win over Parma. But considering the defender's tendency to get himself caught out of position, perhaps "miss" isn't quite the right word. Diego López is almost certain to miss as well, after the goalkeeper injured his hamstring while failing to stop a backpass from Mattia De Sciglio.
Milan are also likely to be without new star Fernando Torres, still recovering from an ankle injury, although Inzaghi is hopeful he'll come off the bench. However, Stephan El Shaarawy has completely recovered, and considering his form against Lazio, he's likely a better bet than adding Torres anyway.
For Juventus, Arturo Vidal is likely to be a game-day decision. Fellow midfielder Andrea Pirlo, however, is almost certain to miss out once more. Giorgio Chiellini, who played in the win against Malmö, is set to make his first Serie A appearance of the season.
Projected Lineups
AC Milan (4-3-3): Christian Abbiati; Mattia De Sciglio, Cristián Zapata, Adil Rami, Ignazio Abate; Sulley Muntari, Nigel De Jong, Andrea Poli; Stephan El Shaarawy, Jérémy Menez, Keisuke Honda
Juventus (3-5-2): Gianluigi Buffon; Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Martín Cáceres; Patrice Evra, Roberto Pereyra, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, Stephan Lichtsteiner; Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente
Three Keys
The Rossoneri defense. -- Milan may have scored five against Parma last weekend, but they also conceded four. Two of those goals came from corners, one from a hilarious flail from goalkeeper Diego López. Inzaghi has certainly done wonders with the attack, but that display has to have shown the need to work on set-piece situations in training. Otherwise, they’ll be caught out again and again.
Keeping it Conte. -- Few have all that much confidence in Allegri as manager, but the reason they’ve won each of their three games is down to having an awfully talented squad. And the reason they’ve yet to concede is likely due to the fact that the new coach has yet to shift away from Antonio Conte’s preferred 3-5-2. Sure, you can argue he’s played a 3-5-1-1, but the point is, Allegri has kept three at the back. It’s what Juventus know and it’s how they are drilled. Who cares who’s on the touchline if the play is practically instinctual?
Carlos Tevez staying hot. -- He scored Juve’s first and set up the second against Udinese. He scored both against Malmo. The Argentine is certainly on a tear right now, which is good news for the Old Lady. Without Pirlo and likely without Vidal, they could well have had difficulty creating chances. But as long as Tevez can keep sniffing out the goal, his side are going to be extremely difficult to beat.
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