AC Milan will face Torino in their next Serie A assignment as they continue to push for their first league title in 11 years.
Serie A leaders AC Milan will want to bounce back from a goalless draw against Bologna in their last league encounter. The Rossoneri are currently leading the league table with 67 points from 31 matches, but another draw could dent their charge as Napoli are just a point behind them in as many matches.
AC Milan last won the Serie A title in the 2010/11 season but have struggled to challenge for the silverware since. They finished runners-up in 2011/12 and the 2020/21 seasons but have been majorly fighting for European spots otherwise, with a tenth-placed finish in 2015 being their lowest point.
Stefano Pioli will want his side to maintain their lead at the top of the table with a win over Torino. They will have just six matches left after the encounter in Turin. Inter, too, are hot on their heels. The Nerazzurri are four points behind AC Milan currently but have played a match fewer.
Torino come into the encounter fresh off a 1-0 win over Salernitana, but their recent form has not been too good. The Turin-based outfit have struggled to string a run of favourable results and have thus been hovering around the Serie A mid-table. Ivan Juric’s men are currently 11th in the league and have won just one of their last five league matches.
They will want to make amends by surprising AC Milan at the Olimpico di Torino. Breaking into the top half could be too much for Torino, as they are five points behind tenth-placed Sassuolo. But they will want to give it a shot as the league enters its business end. Torino will aim to build on their Salernitana win, whereas Milan will try to increase their lead at the top of the Serie A table.
Team News & Tactics
Torino
Vigilia di #TorinoMilan ???#SFT pic.twitter.com/TUjJt6lodV
— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) April 9, 2022
Ivan Juric will be without quite a few players for the AC Mian encounter due to injury issues. Mohamed Fares continues to be an absentee due to a cruciate ligament injury. Forwards Antonio Sanabria and Simone Zaza will also be unavailable. Centre-back Koffi Djidji and midfielder Samuele Ricci will also miss the match.
The Turin manager will employ a 3-4-2-1, with Etrit Berisha manning the goalpost. Armando Izzo, Gleison Bremer and Ricardo Rodriguez will form the back three. Sasa Lukic is expected to slot back into the central midfield alongside Wilfried Singo, Rolando Mandragora and Mergim Vojvoda.
Singo and Vojvoda will be the wing-backs, with the duo in charge of providing width in the final third. Karol Linetty is expected to come into the attacking midfield role alongside Marko Pjaca with Andrea Belotti leading the line for Torino against AC Milan.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Berisha; Izzo, Bremer, Rodriguez; Singo, Mandragora, Lukic, Vojvoda; Pjaca, Linetty; Belotti
AC Milan
AC Milan will also be without a few key first-team stars. Alessandro Florenzi, Simon Kjaer and Alessio Romagnoli will all continue to spend time on the sidelines due to respective injuries.
Stefano Pioli will continue to employ his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mike Maignan taking up the goalkeeping duties. The back four of Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez are expected to retain their spots from the Bologna encounter.
Friday focus ahead of #TorinoMilan ?
A Milanello con la testa a domenica sera ?#SempreMilan @BitMEX pic.twitter.com/3zAthfSjcp
— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 8, 2022
Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer are likely to keep their spots from the previous match as well and will be tasked with shielding their defence. Franck Kessie started the last match on the bench but could slot into the number 10 role against Torino, with Junior Messias and Rafael Leao stationed on either flank.
Considering Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s recent struggles, Olivier Giroud is expected to start again and spearhead the AC Milan attack. Alexis Saelemaekers, Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz will be among the backup options on the bench against Torino.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kalulu, Tomori, Hernandez; Tonali, Bennacer; Messias, Kessie, Leao; Giroud
Key Stats
- Torino and AC Milan have faced off 192 times across competitions with the latter winning 74. Torino have registered 52 wins.
- The two sides have played 66 draws but the last time their encounter ended in a stalemate was back in 2018.
- The reverse fixture between the two sides earlier this season ended in a 1-0 win for the Serie A leaders.
- Torino have lost all of their last four Serie A meetings against Milan. They have conceded 11 goals in the process without reply.
- If Milan beat Torino, this would be the first instance of them registering five consecutive wins against the Turin-based side in 70 years.
Player to Watch
Rafael Leao
Rafael Leão vs Napoli (A)
Baller @RafaeLeao7 ?pic.twitter.com/k9Z479cF6y
— Milan Comps (@CompsACM) March 7, 2022
Rafael Leao is AC Milan’s top scorer this season with nine goals, and he has also provided four assists. However, he has gone without a goal contribution in his last four league matches and will want to return to goalscoring form soon.
With just seven matches remaining in the 2021/22 Serie A season, it is time for AC Milan’s top performers this season to start dominating encounters again. A first league title in 11 years will be a worthy reward for consistency right now.
Prediction
Torino 0-1 AC Milan
AC Milan have not quite managed to dominate matches recently but have still eked out results. Their last four league wins have been 1-0 victories, and a similar result can be expected against Torino. With the Serie A title on line, the Rossoneri are expected to come out with a win in the encounter.
