Prediction: Juventus vs Milan

Verdict: Total goals over 2.5

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: bet365

Juventus will welcome AC Milan to their Allianz Stadium in Turin on Sunday evening, and the two teams will take each other on in a game that will be a part of round 12 this season’s Serie A roller coaster. The clash of these teams still carries significant weight due to the fact that they are the two most successful clubs in the history of the league, with Juventus holding the record with 35 titles and Milan, along with their city rivals Inter, currently on 18.

Juventus

Last season saw Juventus win their 35th title, and it was the eighth consecutive time they’ve been crowned national champions. Their domination in Italian football in recent years simply cannot be questioned. Sometimes it feels the league doesn’t even present a challenge to them, it feels as if the title is theirs by default. Napoli have been the team trying hardest to dethrone them in the last several years, but they haven’t been successful.  The main ambition of the Old Lady has for some time now been to win the Champions League, a feat that has eluded them since 1996 despite reaching the final in 2015 and 2017.

This season the competition in the Serie A seems a bit tougher, with Inter Milan staying within a point from Juventus in the lead so far. Maurizio Sarri indeed has a fantastic squad to pick his team from, but the Nerazzurri have invested heavily themselves and the race between the two former Chelsea managers (Antonio Conte is in charge at Inter, having also had a successful spell at Juventus) promises to be an interesting one.

Team News

Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a knee problem in midweek in the Champions League clash against Lokomotiv Moscow, but the Portuguese superstar is still expected to recover in time to face Milan.

Sarri has a few issues in the middle of defence as well, with Giorgio Chiellini ruled out and Matthijs de Ligt unlikely to recover from an ankle injury. It means Daniele Rugani will probably pair up with Leonardo Bonucci.

AC Milan

Milan are a far cry from the club they used to be not so long ago. Though, as has been pointed out, they remain one of the most decorated clubs in Italian football, they haven’t really been in the running for the Serie A title for a very long time. Last season, they hoped to make the top four and failed, which led to head coach and club legend Gennaro Gattuso getting sacked. On top of that, they’ve been banned from the Europa League as well due to breaching the Financial Fair Play rules.

They’ve already replaced the man that was chosen as Gattuso’s successor, Marco Giampaolo, and now it’s Stefano Pioli’s turn to show if he can contrive the sleeping giant to awaken.

One thing is clear – it is by no means an easy task. The seven-time European champions currently sit 12th in the table with only 13 points to their name from 11 games. Last week they were outplayed and defeated at home by Lazio, and their return to the elite of the Italian and European football will not likely come soon.

Team News

Pioli faces a wait to see if either of Samu Castillejo and Suso will be ready to play. Castillejo was forcibly replaced after 35 minutes of the Lazio game, and Suso missed it altogether. However, neither has been ruled out at this point.

Conclusion

Given the vast difference in quality of the two teams in this particular moment in time, as well as the last several years, it’s fair to say that Milan will need all the luck that can possibly come their way in order to leave Turin with anything at all but a painful memory in their pockets. Juventus should have very little difficulty in breaking them down and booking the three points, with the ball hitting the back of the net at least three times.

Verdict: Total goals over 2.5

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: bet365