Prediction: Juventus vs Milan

19th March 2012

Juventus appear to be losing the battle with Milan for the Serie A trophy, but the Bianconeri are on the verge of qualifying for Coppa Italia final after the 2-1 victory at San Siro. The Rossoneri have no choice but to attack their opponents from the off seeing they need to score at least two goals to go through, which should guarantee us an exciting game of football at Juventus Arena.

Following the heavy summer spending and the bright start to the league campaign, Juventus were tipped as early season favourites for the Serie A trophy, but Antonio Conte’s is slowly losing the battle with reigning champions Milan. The Bianconeri currently sit four points adrift of their rivals and they do not look like they can overturn the deficit in the final ten rounds, although even a second-place finish should be considered a good result when we know that this is a transition season for the Old Lady. On the other hand, Juventus have been presented with an excellent opportunity to reach the Coppa Italia final after their 2-1 victory in the first leg at San Siro, and it is no wonder Antonio Conte sees this clash as the most important match of the season. In spite of that, the talented manager has already announced that Marco Storari and Alessandro Del Piero will start against Milan, even if they are not normally considered first team regulars. With Giorgio Chiellini returning to the side after recovering from injury, Conte could revert to 3-5-2 formation.

A lot of people were wondering just why Milan kept buying new players even if they already had big enough squad to cope with playing in three major competitions, but such a recruitment policy soon proved to be vital in team’s push for domestic and international honours. The Rossoneri did struggle to cope with huge selection problems at the start to the season, but the big squad of quality players allowed boss Max Allegri to field strong sides even when he would have more than half of the starting line-up unavailable for selection. Considering all the problems Milan faced this term, the Rossoneri have done brilliantly to remain in the race for all three major trophies. The Coppa Italia title is slowly getting out of reach, but you can be sure the Serie A leaders will give their best to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg and show Juventus why they are still considered the best side in Italy’s top flight. Alberto Aquilani, Gennaro Gattuso and Maxi Lopez returned into action in the 2-0 victory over Parma, whereas Philippe Mexes and Clarence Seedorf are also expected to feature. Kevin-Prince Boateng is rated doubtful, whereas Robinho and Mark van Bommel are definitely out.

Conclusion

Juventus are back in business after the 5-0 victory over arch rivals Fiorentina and the Bianconeri will be looking to finish the job and qualify for the Coppa Italia final. High-flying Milan are not yet ready to give up on the trophy and they are expected to go all guns blazing at their opponents. Therefore, we could see goals galore at Juventus Arena.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: Ladbrokes