Key Battles and Prediction: AC Milan vs Juventus

AC Milan playing Juventus in a bid to remain in the top four of the league and take points away from a possible title contender. Milan have faced two difficult sides taking two big losses in recent weeks against Napoli and Chelsea FC so the game is a big mental test. Here are some key battles to look out for:

Key Battles

Central attacking midfielder vs Central midfielder

Brahim Diaz vs Manuel Locatelli

A massive opportunity for Diaz as Pioli puts his faith in him at a critical moment and the young Spaniard has done well in this particular fixture before. CDK needs time to adjust to the league but Milan cannot be dropping points until he is ready thus it makes sense to rotate with Diaz and possibly even Adli. Diaz will face a returning Locatelli who will want to make an impact to pip Paredes in Allegri’s pecking order. Diaz needs to be strong and the rest will follow, the passing and finishing is there but only when he can hold the ball and get into dangerous positions.

Striker vs Centre back

Olivier Giroud vs Bremer

Giroud had a nightmarish return to Stamford Bridge where he barely touched the ball whilst on the pitch. He will need to do better in this game despite his fatigue due to the excessive number of games he is being asked to play. It is likely Rebic will replace him after 60 minutes but a good start to the game would go a long way as Allegri’s side can clamp down and sit back with two big defenders in Bremer in Bonucci. Bremer will be aggressive and not give him space but if he can find the gaps in the box with some clever movements such as his goal against Napoli, he could get us going.

Striker vs Centre back

Arkadiusz Milik vs Fikayo Tomori

Three goals in five league games for the former Napoli striker and a good chemistry forming with Vlahovic early on. Milik tends to switch wings and draw defenders wide to make space for Vlahovic to easily run in behind. He is also the one tasked with the hold up play. As we have seen thus far this season, Tomori is not in the best form with lots of mistakes and quite a bit of misjudgement with his early pressing with players easily turning him to laying off the ball such as Sterling for James on Wednesday night. The defender will need to stick tightly to his man and play it safe for this one to avoid conceding silly goals.

Predictions

Diaz Winner

Bremer Winner

Milik Winner