AC Milan will look to maintain their bright start to the new Serie A campaign when they host Torino at San Siro on Saturday night.
After an impressive win at Bologna on the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Serie A season, AC Milan will be aiming to lay down an early marker of their Scudetto credentials when they welcome Torino to San Siro for their first home game of the new season.
Coming off the back of an impressive summer recruitment drive that saw the Rossoneri reinvest the Sandro Tonali money, who was sold to Newcastle United, smartly and efficiently to plug Stefano Pioli’s squad holes, a new-look Milan side got the new Serie A season off to a flying start as they cruised to a 2-0 victory against a strong Bologna side, managed by Thiago Motta.
Olivier Giroud and headline summer arrival Christian Pulisic were on the scoresheet inside the opening 25 minutes to fire Milan to a routine win at Bologna on Monday. They will be looking to build on that this time around as they face Torino in front of a packed San Siro.
Torino, meanwhile, drew a blank in a 0-0 stalemate at home to newly-promoted Cagliari in their season opener. Despite having 58% of the ball and 11 shots, the Maroons managed just two on target, and their attackers were, as ever, profligate when it comes to decisive moments in front of goal, which is not something new.
Under the management of Ivan Juric, Toro often flattered to deceive last season. For all their progressive play, they just couldn’t find the back of the net to save their lives last season as they finished firmly in mid-table, failing to really push towards the top seven and the UEFA Europa Conference League qualification spots, which should be the target for the new season.
Nevertheless, they are likely to find chances harder to come by on Saturday evening up against the AC Milan juggernaut. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Pumped up 😮💨#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/8fDO7fg3f6
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 24, 2023
The injury to Algerian midfielder Ismael Bennacer derailed AC Milan’s campaign midway through last season. But the summer additions of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze, Yunus Musah, and Tijani Reijnders mean that Stefano Pioli now has plenty of quality depth options available to him all across the pitch. However, the Italian head coach is unlikely to make many changes to the starting lineup that performed so well earlier this week.
Last season saw Pioli at times play a 3-4-2-1 formation to accommodate their strong core of central defenders; he has now deployed a 4-3-3 formation to kickstart the new season. Mike Maignan looked sharp between the sticks for Milan against Bologna, and the Frenchman is in good stead to earn another clean sheet up against a toothless Torino strike force.
Pulisic was used from the right wing last time out. But he is just as comfortable on the left and can operate in a central playmaking post when required. This versatility will be vital to Pioli tweaking his formations down the line.
There have been reports that Milan could wrap up their incredible summer transfer window with a new centre-forward. But evergreen striker Olivier Giroud opened his account for the season at Bologna with a goal as one of two attempts on target, as well as providing an assist. So he is likely to remain first-choice at least for this game, with support from Pulisic and Rafael Leao.
New signings Noah Okafor, Chukwueze, Lorenzo Colombo, and Luka Romero will all have to contend with a spot on the bench and will be relied upon to make a positive impression as an impact substitute.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao
Torino
Torino will make the trip to take on AC Milanwithout the services of Koffi Djidji (hernia), David Zima (leg), and Demba Seck (shoulder). Having concentrated on retaining loan players rather than making a number of new signings, Torino’s starting XI should be similar to last season’s, with Ricardo Rodriguez captaining the side from defence alongside in-demand Perr Schuurs and Alessandro Buongiorno.
Valentino Lazaro has been re-signed on permanent basis and is expected to take the place of Wilfried Stephane Singo, who left the club to join AS Monaco last week. Raoul Bellanova should start on the right flank, while Mergim Vojvoda will be asked to hold his own against Pulisic.
Ivan Ilic and Samuele Ricci will sit deep in the midfield pivot, and they will look to shield the back four and break up Milan’s play. Summer arrival, Adrien Tameze, is set for a place on the bench.
Our first Serie A match of the season ends in a tie ⚔️#SFT | #TorinoCagliari pic.twitter.com/FGC3RLvfh5
— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC1906_En) August 21, 2023
Ivan Juric’s issue with Torino has often been a lack of goal-scoring. But they have very little chance this weekend. And so the pressure is growing on Antonio Sanabria as he continues to be quite ineffective for Toro despite being Toro’s leading scorer in 2022/23, with 12 goals and four assists in Serie A.
Due to a lack of striker options, the Paraguayan will likely keep his place up front and aim to put things right here with the support of Nikola Vlasic and either Yann Karamoh or Nemanja Radonjic.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Schuurs, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Ilic, Ricci, Vojvoda; Radonjic, Vlasic; Sanabria
Key Stats
- Torino have won two of their last three meetings across all competitions with Milan.
- AC Milan have won five out of their last seven matches against Torino in the Serie A.
- In fact, the Milan giants are unbeaten in their last 27 Serie A matches at home against Torino.
- The Rossoneri have won eight of their last 12 competitive home games (D3 L1).
- The hosts have scored just three goals in their past five encounters with Ivan Juric’s side.
Player to Watch
Christian Pulisic
It is very early days, but Pulisic has made a promising start to life in Italy. He was thrown right into the starting XI and smoothed out Milan’s right flank with dazzling flicks, dribbles, dangerous crosses from right half-space, and above all, making goal contributions.
Unlike Chelsea, where Pulisic was on the periphery of a seemingly endless attacking puzzle, the USMNT star seems to have thrived on Stefano Pioli’s well-defined tactics and showcased incredible chemistry with veteran striker Olivier Giroud.
The Rossoneri have title hopes, no doubt, having lifted the Scudetto two seasons ago. And it feels like Pulisic will almost certainly be a key figure if they are able to taste success this season. On his home debut, the 24-year-old will be hoping to make a good impression and steer his side to another three points.
Prediction
AC Milan 2-0 Torino
AC Milan left a great impression on the opening day, so much so that many reckon them as clear favourites to go the whole hog. While that remains to be seen, they must back up their opening-day performance with another victory in the first home match of the season.
As ever, Torino will struggle to score, and they are unlikely to trouble the solid rearguard of AC Milan. So, as long as Milan’s attack is in full swing, this one seems like a fairly straightforward affair and a routine win for the home side.
