The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Juventus

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan will be looking to right the wrongs of their midweek defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they face off against Juventus at San Siro tonight.

Milan have some injuries to contend with and the latest reports suggest changes from midweek with Matteo Gabbia coming in for Sergino Dest, Pierre Kalulu shifting to right-back, Tommaso Pobega coming in for Rade Krunic and Brahim Diaz getting the nod in what could well be a 4-3-3.

The game will be largely influenced by some key position battles, with Juventus expected to field a 4-4-2, so it starts with Milan’s danger man Rafael Leao hoping to build on his goal in the last league win over Empoli by getting the better of the experienced full-back Danilo.

In midfield there will be a duel between two players with a bright future for Italy in Sandro Tonali and Manuel Locatelli. The former has proven to be worth every bit of the investment to sign him from Brescia, while Locatelli was of course with Milan before he fell out of favour and was sold to Sassuolo, then ending up at Juve.

One area that stands out as a concern for Milan is the battle between Dusan Vlahovic and Matteo Gabbia. The former has five goals this season so far and is a fast, physical and clinical striker, with Gabbia no doubt still having memories of the brace the Serb scored when he started in the 4-3 defeat away against Fiorentina last season.

Filip Kostic is expected to get the nod to start on the left side for Juve and he is arguably their main creative outlet while Angel Di Maria is out. With Pierre Kalulu shifting over to right-back, he must win that duel defensively with his athleticism and physicality, while also pinning the former Eintracht Frankfurt man back with well timed runs forward.

Finally, we come to a contest between two seasoned veterans in Olivier Giroud and Leonardo Bonucci. Both require little introduction, but in case you had forgotten the French striker has already scored vital goals for Milan such as his derby-winning brace (and has five goals this season) while the latter was the Rossoneri’s captain for one season in 2017-18 and is by far the most experienced player the Bianconeri boast.

Tags AC Milan Milan-Juventus
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