JUVENTUS
v
AC MILAN
Juventus Arena
October 2, 2011; 13:00 GMT
***
“Yes, also for instance Chiellini, before Juve vs Milan game was joking around with Allegri saying you’re winning too many matches saying it with a big smile on his face, back then you wouldn’t see something like this . I remember before any game and special big games, I used to see blood in the eyes of my team-mates, and when I used to play against Milan I wasn’t exchanging words or chatting with any of the Milan players even their coach Ancelotti who is good friend of mine, not even after the final whistle. Right now, it’s just totally inverse.” – Alessio Tacchinardi
AC Milan travel to Turin to take on Juventus in the Juventus Arena in what will be the first “big match” of this season’s Serie A calendar. Juventus made a strong start to their campaign, while Milan have improved in the last two matches, making this a clash between two teams who are in comparable form. This will be the biggest game in Turin since the new stadium was inaugurated and the fans will be hoping for a cracking encounter to do justice to the occasion.
Team News and Tactical Brief
Juventus
After winning their first two matches, Juventus’ juggernaut has somewhat slowed down in last two matches. Against Catania, the Old Lady struggled for most of the game and scored thanks to an error from Mariano Andujar. With Andrea Pirlo marked out of the game, Juventus struggled to muster enough bite in their forward surges. Fabio Grosso and Giorgio Chiellini had off days as Catania often looked threatening during counter-attacks. The only positive from the match in Sicily was Milos Krasic’s form in the second half. The Serbian not only scored Juve’s only goal but also presented Alessandro Del Piero with a golden opportunity towards end of the match. Overall, the Catania match provided Juventus fans with more questions than answers.
Andrea Barzagli picked up a niggle in the last match but will be fit to start against Milan. The 2006 World Cup winner has been one of the most consistent players for the Old Lady in current season, often covering up for an uncharacteristically sloppy Giorgio Chiellini. Chiellini, often the sole competent defender in Juve’s frail defensive line up in last three seasons, has been going through a rough patch. He can be faulted for each of the goals Juve conceded in last two matches. Antonio Conte will be hoping that Chiellini returns to his usual self so that the home team can hold their fort against one of the best attacks in Serie A.
Paolo De Ceglie was suffering from a muscle injury (probable reason for him not being picked in last match) and looks likely to make his way back into starting XI. Stefan Lichtsteiner, the man known as “Forrest Gump”, has added the much needed quality Juve needed on its flanks. A fit Lichtsteiner is likely to be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Conte tried a 4-3-3 formation against Catania, to little effect. Failure of the 4-3-3 along with the return of Mirko Vucinic is likely to bring back his preferred 4-2-4 formation. Milan legend Andrea Pirlo will be facing his old club for the first time in years. It would be strange for the Rossoneri faithful to see their iconic player take the field against Milan in a different club’s colours. Claudio Marchisio is likely to partner Pirlo with Arturo Vidal on the bench.
Alessandro Matri has worked pretty hard in first four matches but was often let down by lack of service. He scored two goals (one chalked off harshly) in first two matches when enough chances were created. Against Bologna, he was left to play as a lone striker after Vucinic’s sending off and was double marked by opponent defenders. In the last match, he got little or no service for 90 minutes. His partnership with Vucinic is yet to blossom but with the maverick Montenegrin back in starting XI, Matri will definitely have more time and space of operate.
Elia’s indifferent performance against Catania might bring Simone Pepe back into the starting XI along with with Milos Krasic roadrunning on the right flank.
Probable Starting Line-up (4-2-4): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Chiellini, Barzagli, De Ceglie; Pirlo, Marchisio; Krasic, Matri, Vucinic, Pepe
AC Milan
The Defending champions were handed a set of extremely difficult first three matches against Lazio, Napoli and Udinese. Milan earned just two points from these matches but bounced back against Cesena with a 1-0 win. In mid-week, Allegri’s team dished out a solid performance to dispatch Czech champions Viktoria Plzen 2-0 in Champions league. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano got on the scoresheet in the game at San Siro. Milan will be relatively more fatigued than Juventus having played a mid-week match.
Alessandro Nesta’s partnership with Thiago Silva was easily the best defensive pairing in Serie A last season. Nesta’s performance has been somewhat inconsistent this season – he struggled to cope against Lazio on the opening day but gave a flawless performance (including this incredible tackle) against Barcelona in Camp Nou. Along with Nesta and Silva, Abate has cemented his position in Milan’s starting XI since start of 2010/11 season. The right-back has been one of the most improved players in Serie A in recent times and would have looked to take advantage of Juve’s weaker left flank. However, Abate’s late injury means that Milan will have do with Bonera on right-wing, a significant step down in quality.
Will he get past Chiellini?
Ex-Juventus youth product Antonio Nocerino earned a well-deserved move to a big club after two wonderful seasons in Palermo. Ex-Juve players have shown a trend of performing well against the club and Nocerino might follow the same pattern. Along with Marco van Bommel, Nocerino will try to bottle up Andrea Pirlo – the main source of creativity for Juve. Ever-green Clarence Seedorf will play behind two strikers Ibrahimovic and Cassano.
Alberto Aquilani’s transfer crashed after Liverpool and Juve failed to reach an agreement. Milan swiftly moved in and secured the servicea of the ex-Roma midfielder; Aquaman has already opened his goal scoring account for Milan with a superb header against Napoli.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a notorious reputation of underperforming in big matches and his overall record against Juventus is pretty ordinary. However, Ibra did score a goal during Milan’s 2-1 home loss to Juventus last season and he will be looking to set the records straight against the club which brought him to Italy. His strike partner Cassano, on the other hand, has often performed brilliantly against Juventus. He was outstanding during Sampdoria’s 3-3 draw with Juventus last season.
Probable Starting Line-up (4-3-1-2): Abbiati; Bonera, Silva, Nesta, Antonini; Nocerino, van Bommel, Aquilani; Seedorf; Cassano, Ibrahimovic
Key Clashes
Chiellini v Ibrahimovic
One of Chiellini’s most talked about records is his performances against Ibracadabra. The Swedish striker has infamously never managed to score a goal with Chiellini on the field. Will the defender’s record once again come good in this match or will Ibra take advantage of Chiellini’s poor form and break his duck? This will certainly be an intriguing battle.
Lichtsteiner v Antonini
Antonini had often been the weakest link in Milan’s Scudetto-winning defence. His job will not be made any easier by an ever-energetic Swiss right-back who never seems to stop running. Lichtsteiner’s endless running, combined with Milos Krasic’s pace can cause a world of pain to Milan defence.
Key Facts
TheHardTackle’s PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Last season, Alessio Tacchinardi infamously berated Buffon after the ‘keeper was found smiling with his Italy team mates, despite conceding a soft goal in the 1-0 home defeat to Milan. Buffon showed glimpses of his peak form against Catania in last match and Juventus fans will be hoping that “Superman” makes a swift return to being the best in business.
Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan)
Unlike some of the other ex-Juve players, Nocerino has always spoken well about the club. He was shipped off to Palermo in a scandalously expensive deal to sign Amauri. The player who spent eleven years of his youth career in Turin would certainly want to show Juventus that they committed a mistake by not giving him enough time to establish himself in the first team.
TheHardTackle’s PREDICTION
Juventus 1-1 Milan
TheHardTackle’s BLAST FROM THE PAST
