Serie A: Trailing Giants in a Chase for Points

Juventus vs AC Milan

Fifth plays seventh in the Italian match of the weekend when the Serie A match between Juventus and AC Milan kicks off at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Neither team has ripped it up in the first half of the campaign, and the Scudetto is well out of reach of both the Old Lady and Supercoppa winners AC Milan, who are currently 13 and 16 points behind leaders Napoli. In fact, the top three made up of I Partenopei, Inter Milan, and Atalanta have broken away. La Dea is seven points clear of fourth placed Lazio. 

And that is the target for both Juve and Milan, that fourth place held by the Romans. If Thiago Motta’s Juventus can take all three points on Saturday, they can overtake Lazio should Marco Baroni’s men slip up away to Hellas Verona on Sunday. So this is a huge game for both teams and one for SBOTOP football fans to get stuck into. 

Juventus come into the game on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Atalanta, while Sergio Conceicao’s Milan won 2-1 away to Como, so let’s take a closer look at the shape of the two squads and then make some Serie A 2025 betting tips.

 

Talking Points

Is Vlahovic in line for Juve return?  

Juve’s visit to Bergamo in midweek was a huge challenge particularly as I Bianconeri travelled without top scorer Dusan Vlahovic. Motta said, while his team was not 100-per cent happy with a point, they put on a great performance without Vlahovic or indeed any out-and-out striker, with Arek Milik and winger Francisco Conceicao also sidelined. Wide man Nico Gonzalez, on loan from Fiorentina, played as a deeper lying forward, alternating with Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.

The system seemed to be working as the Old Lady went ahead through Pierre Kalulu just after halftime, but league leading scorer Mateo Retegui levelled with a diving header to make it 13 for the season and grab a draw for La Dea.

Vlahovic has missed the last two games with muscle fatigue, but there have been serious rumours of a move from Premier League title chasers Arsenal, who are in desperate need of a striker. With 41 goals in 90 games for I Bianconeri and previously 44 in 98 for Fiorentina, the 24-year-old Serb is exactly the type of goalscorer the Gunners are looking for. Motta is remaining tight lipped on the subject and says Vlahovic is in contention to play on Saturday.      

 

How long can Sergio bounce?

Four games in and new boss Conceicao has made quite an impression at the San Siro, picking up the Supercoppa Italiana and beating Inter Milan in the final no less. That’s some honeymoon, and three wins and a draw from his first four games is a very good return. USA star Christian Pulisic, with five goals and four assists, has been the most consistent and productive player, while the likes of forward Rafael Leao and wing-back Theo Hernandez have also impressed in the new regime with their ability to create Serie A 2025 highlights.

The mood at the San Siro is certainly improving but, even though I Rossoneri beat Juventus on the way to their Supercoppa triumph, this league match is the most serious challenge Conceicao has faced so far, and he too has a close eye on the fitness of some of his stars. Pulisic was forced off during the second half in the win over Como though Milan’s medical team has cleared him of any muscular damage, but the news may not be so good for defender Malick Thiaw, who was also examined after the game. The 6’4” centre-back has a hamstring strain, and he’ll be assessed again over the next two weeks.

Add to that the absence of former Juve star Alvaro Morata, who picked up a suspension following a yellow card against Como, and Conceicao has a bit of shuffling to do. Tammy Abraham came on as a substitute and made the assist for Leao’s winner, and he is in line to replace the Spaniard, while Matteo Gabbia could make a start in place of Thiaw.       

 

History

With 38 wins to 24, the Old Lady has had much the better of the head-to-heads, though, of course, I Rossoneri won that Supercoppa semi-final 2-1 with goals from Pulisic and Yunus Musah.  

Milan are banging in form with four wins and two draws from the last six, while Juventus have been stuttering a little, with two wins from their last six games but without a victory in four.   

Juventus are unbeaten at home in the league, but they have won only three at the Allianz Stadium while drawing a whopping seven. Meanwhile, I Rossoneri are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions.  

 

Betting Tip

This is a tough game to call with the draw priced at 2.91, Juventus at 2.20 to win, and Milan the outsiders at 3.02.

Momentum is with I Rossoneri. While Vlahovic may be fit to play for Juve, there is uncertainty around his future, and there is more stability under Conceicao in Milan at the moment.      

   

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