Key Battles and Prediction: AC Milan vs Juventus

AC Milan vs Juventus tonight, a potential decisive fixture for the title race and the UCL spots. Milan are reeling while Juventus are on a hot streak. Not ideal conditions for Pioli and his men but we hope for a resurgent display. Here are some key battles to look out for:

Key Battles

Central defensive midfielder vs Central defensive midfielder

Sandro Tonali vs Manuel Locatelli

The battle of the future of Italy’s midfield. Tonali goes head to head with a midfielder with similar characteristics and a past with Milan. The job of Tonali will be to immobilise Locatelli and keep him chasing the ball as opposed to setting up passes for the attack. On the flip side, Tonali really needs to support the build up play with forward passes as this was missing in the previous game and really hurt us. It would be incredible to see Bennacer start but this seems tough at this point as he could really unlock the Juventus middle.

Left winger vs Right back

Rafael Leao vs Mattia de Sciglio

Leao must be raring at the opportunity to run at De Sciglio. Allegri always had a soft spot for him despite him being a bang average footballer. We must pressure that wing because that’s where Juventus will crack given Alex Sandro is solid on the opposite end. Leao needs to force De Sciglio and De Ligt to make mistakes as they are both error prone and target the goal down that wing.

Centre back vs Striker

Alessio Romagnoli vs Alvaro Morata

This is a key moment for Romagnoli. He needs to be there for the team and he needs to justify himself to earn that renewal. He needs to pocket Morata in this game or we will concede a messy goal and chase the game until we drop all three points. Romagnoli needs to be strong and aggressive borrowing from Tomori and Kalulu. A big asset will be the pace of Kalulu who can be a sweeper as Romagnoli presses early.

Predictions

Tonali Winner

Leao Winner

Roamgnoli Winner