Match Preview Serie A, Match Scouting Serie A

Preview and Scouting: AC Milan v Juventus

September 19, 2014 - 3:13 pm

 acmilan    AC Milan                                                      V                                               Juventus         juventus

19:45 UK


 Serie A – Week 3  [20th September 2014]  – Stadio San Siro

 

Juventus

All is well at Vinovo. Juventus have won all three of their first competitive games this season, and they are even yet to concede a goal. This week’s 2-0 victory over Malmo in Champions League provides the side with a stable start to the Champions League, something that has been an issue in the past.

But now comes Juve’s biggest test so far: a resurgent A.C. Milan side led by Pippo Inzaghi. Juventus are mostly recovered from their “injury crisis” of a week ago, with only Andrea Pirlo and Luca Marrone definitely sidelined with injuries.

We should see a very much first choice line up from Juventus here. The only question is Arturo Vidal, who will definitely be on the bench but may not start as he is just returning from injury. For now, Roberto Pereyra is in his place. However, I have gotten ahead of my self.

Gianluigi Buffon will get the start in goal, and the starters from Europe should start again: Martin Caceres, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini. Out wide, Allegri is likely to again go with the tandem of Stephan Lichtsteiner and Patrice Evra. With Asamoah not likely to start in midfield, he will be available as a substitute, but it appears Evra’s performance against Malmo was enough for Allegri to merit another start.

Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba start again, and joining them will most likely be Roberto Pereyra, but it could be Vidal. Things will get clearer as the match approaches, but for now Pereyra is the safe bet. Still, I’m sure we will see Vidal in at least a substitute role.

Finally, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente return up top. Tevez had a great game versus Malmo, scoring two goals, while Llorente struggled a bit. Milan’s constant attacking could give both of these men an opportunity to strike gold in this match, which could be a good boost for Llorente’s form.

Confirmed lineup

3-5-2 :  Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Pereyra, Marchisio, Pogba, Asamoah; Llorente, Tevez

Juventus bench: Storari, Rubinho, Romulo, Ogbonna, Padoin, Pepe, Vidal, Evra, Mattiello, Coman, Morata, Giovinco

Injuries

icon05injured  Andrea Barzagli (Returning to fitness), Andrea Pirlo and Luca Marrone

 

AC Milan Scouting

Juventus will square off against Milan in the first big match of the 2014/2015 season. Other than the technical aspect, what stood out in the new course of Milan is the atmosphere now that Inzaghi  at the helm. The group seems very united, motivated and enthusiastic, everybody is on the same page, the ownership is close and supports the coach, there’s no longer an ongoing cold war between the CEOs.

They didn’t have a great budget to operate with in the summer window, but the transfer market was ok: the acquisitions were smart and filled some needs, moreover they have less baggage thanks to the sale of Balotelli. Inzaghi opted for a 4-3-3 so far: very direct, fast and incisive. They heavily rely on the counter-attacking game, since they have pacey forwards. The attack with no reference points lead by Menez as false-nine has been productive.

The sample is small, but they appear to be a team that prefers letting the opponents play (47% average possession, far below Milan’s historical averages, and 17 shots conceded per game) and strike them quickly. They scored eight goals in two matches and conceded five goals in two matches (against Lazio and Parma).

At first glance, they don’t seem the insanely unbalanced Zemanian team the numbers say. The goals they conceded were caused by individual blunders and a shaky defense in general rather than by tactical recklessness. The firepower at their disposal is impressive and Inzaghi is using it in a very clever way. El Shaarawy, Bonaventura and the new and improved Menez and Honda are all technical players that are at their best in an up tempo offense that takes advantages of quick combinations, off-the-ball cuts and one-on-ones in the open space. We’ll see how Fernando Torres will fit in.

Nigel De Jong is their anchor in the midfield and probably another muscular midfielder is needed to maintain the balance, that’s why Muntari plays so much and, for instance, Cristante and not Essien left Milan in the summer. Van Ginkel should add a little more technique without losing anything from the physical standpoint.

On Saturday, Milan will be surely without Diego Lopez (biceps femoris strain), Montolivo (tibia fracture), Saponara (meniscus tear) and Alex (bruised adductor). Torres (ankle sprain) should be able to recover in time, but he’ll start from the bench. Bonera is suspended. The absences of Diego Lopez and Alex are two big blows: Abbiati is inconsistent and you never know what kind of performance he’ll make, Alex is a bigger physical presence than Rami and has more leadership. Zapata and Rami are set to be centre-backs.

There aren’t many doubts about the lineup: Abate (two assists in two matches) and De Sciglio will be the fullbacks, Poli-De Jong-Muntari in the midfield, Honda-Menez-? In the attack. Either Jack Bonaventura or Stephan El Shaarawy could be fielded as left winger. El Shaarawy is obviously a more talented player, but the characteristics are similar, all in all.

This is the first real test of the season for both Inzaghi’s Milan and Allegri’s Juventus and there’s a lot of stake: Milan have to prove that they can be true contenders, while the phantom of Conte still looms large over Allegri. It will be interesting to see whether the teams will be play head-on or they’ll be more cautious, considering the importance of the match.

Expected lineup

4-3-3 : Abbiati; Abate, Rami, Zapata, De Sciglio; Poli, De Jong, Muntari; Honda, Menez, El Shaarawy

Milan bench: Agazzi, Gori, Albertazzi, Armero, Mexes, Zaccardo, Van Ginkel, Bonaventura, Pazzini, Torres, Niang

Injured

icon05injured  Riccardo Montolivo, Diego Lopez, Alex and Riccardo Saponara.

Suspended

icon07red  Daniele Bonera

 

04milan

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  • Avatar
    dinodelfino September 19, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    Now i love every Juve fixture but when this fucker of a game comes round……….i know its pivotal,at any stage of the season.The prestige of this game is massive,im convinced we are not only gonna win,but can see us hammering them if we are on song.

    • Avatar
      Marc Dominic Zaroli September 20, 2014 at 3:22 pm

      If our defence holds then it should be an easy win as their defence is dire

      • Avatar
        BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 5:40 pm

        Yeah our attack should show some good stuff tonight, hoping for some good goals and another strong performance by the team, the first big test of the season!

  • Avatar
    tpick September 19, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    I wouldnt be surprised to see Torres start and Menez on the wing. SES has been called up too.

    • Avatar
      dinodelfino September 19, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      They are gonna come it,most milan teams do against us,we can smack these if we attack like fuck.

  • Avatar
    Moderator September 19, 2014 at 7:06 pm

    There;s a great post on the site from Emmet – A look back at the game between Milan and Juventus in 2005 – it’s a beautiful recap – The full game is there as well as a video.

    Really poignant look back because we all know what happened to Calcio soon after. One of those truly classic games, hell of a milan side they had then, and we still beat them.

    I remember most of you guys and gals were pretty ecstatic at the time – We had a shit load of comments on the site and the forum.

  • Avatar
    JuveMarchisio September 20, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    read that Asamoah gonna start in stead of Evra, Allegri is making good choices, IMO

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    FORZA JUVE ALE ALE

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    Moderator September 20, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    Reading that Pereyra will start over Vidal

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 5:38 pm

      Hoping he can get a good sub in the second half! Also hoping for some Morata time!

      • Avatar
        JuventusVidal September 20, 2014 at 6:13 pm

        i think morata and coman can cause some real problems for milan.

        • Avatar
          BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 6:39 pm

          Yeah me too, hope to see them both and Vidal come on today. And sooner than the 80th minute hopefully 😛

  • Avatar
    Moderator September 20, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    CONFIRMED:

    Milan: Abbiati; Abate, Rami, Zapata, De Sciglio; Poli, De Jong, Muntari; Honda, Menez, El Shaarawy
    Milan bench: Agazzi, Gori, Albertazzi, Armero, Mexes, Zaccardo, Van Ginkel, Bonaventura, Pazzini, Torres, Niang

    Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Pereyra, Marchisio, Pogba, Asamoah; Llorente, Tevez
    Juventus bench: Storari, Rubinho, Romulo, Ogbonna, Padoin, Pepe, Vidal, Evra, Mattiello, Coman, Morata, Giovinco

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 6:38 pm

      Wow I was just going to look for a good stream and I read this. Cheers mate xD

  • Avatar
    DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    Black shorts, forget it….

    • Avatar
      Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 6:58 pm

      Here we go!

  • Avatar
    DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    Inzaghi walked all the way to the other side of the sideline to shake Allegri’s hand. Maybe Allegri isn’t such a horibble man after all.

    • Avatar
      Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 6:58 pm

      I dont think he was ever accused of being a horrible man :p

      • Avatar
        DutchJuve September 22, 2014 at 3:39 pm

        Wellllll the things he did with women made him look pretty bad :p

  • Avatar
    DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    What did Pereyra say when he got his haircut? ”I want a Vidal”?

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      “Pogba advised me to get the special haircut from you” 😛

      • Avatar
        DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 6:57 pm

        Haha

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    What the hell,something wrong with Caceres? Ogbonna in for him..

  • Avatar
    JuventusBuffon September 20, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    End to end game

  • Avatar
    Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    Lich has been working on his dribbling

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    Well, we were the better team in the first half, also more chances to score, anything can still happen. I hope for Morata, maybe a trident or something with Tevez and Llorente.. Feel like he could really open up the Milan defense

  • Avatar
    KPS235 September 20, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    when marchisio got yellow muntari looked like he saw his own death,
    anyway good first half. pereyra really impressed me,plays really well.

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:42 pm

      Muntari is a pussy

      • Avatar
        Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 7:44 pm

        Yea and that didnt look anyway a foul. The challenge on Pereyra by Menez was much more yellow card worthy, yet not even a foul.

        • Avatar
          BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:45 pm

          Yeah or the Muntari foul on Marchisio, same thing. But gotta say, this Menez is quite a worker

    • Avatar
      Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 7:42 pm

      I was terrified for Marchisio. Muntari looks to have vicious breathe :p

  • Avatar
    JuventusVidal September 20, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    hoping to see morata get at least half an hour and for one of vidal or coman to get some playing time

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:46 pm

      Crossing fingers for that too, I’d go for Morata and Coman in this game, Pereyra seems to do well substituting Vidal, I wouldn’t risk Vidal then with such good options elsewhere

      • Avatar
        JuventusVidal September 20, 2014 at 7:49 pm

        if we take the lead, i’d bring in vidal. we are struggling to destroy play in midfield.

        • Avatar
          BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:51 pm

          Yeah that’s a good option in that scenario, but first we need to take the lead 😛
          Thing is though, Tevez and Llorente aren’t playing bad at all

  • Avatar
    Luca Moleta September 20, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    good first half we created some good chances but milan look dangerous on the counter attack

    • Avatar
      Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 7:48 pm

      Welcome!

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:52 pm

      Yeah but they only created one dangerous chance, we can take this game from them!
      Also welcome to the site

  • Avatar
    Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    Rudy was right, these Dutch commercials are awesome

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:51 pm

      Dat frogtape right

      • Avatar
        Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 8:25 pm

        Yup

        • Avatar
          BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 8:28 pm

          Called it! 😛

    • Avatar
      DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 8:23 pm

      LOL. Which ones did you like? xD

      • Avatar
        Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 8:26 pm

        Frog tape, i enjoyed a phone company one and the one with the guy in a suit with his head in the ground

        • Avatar
          DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 8:28 pm

          Which phone company? Telfort by any chance? And the head in the ground is a new one. Never seen it with the sound on. It’s usually off during commercials xD

          • Avatar
            Papilaya(John)™★★★ September 20, 2014 at 10:49 pm

            I dont remember,but there was a little dancing man at the bottom left corner and they used alot of red in the ad. I mostly liked it because of the dancing man :p

            I also like this ps4 one, but im sure that commercial is also aired here, but im not certain because o havent watched tv march or april

          • Avatar
            DutchJuve September 21, 2014 at 5:18 pm

            A dancing man? I don’t know which that is. The one i mean is this one: (i wonder how you see this without understanding the language)

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzwEUxveiRE

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 7:53 pm

    Btw, Caceres injured, what happened to him? Totally missed it and still no clue what’s wrong with him

  • Avatar
    Bianconeri_Archer_PH September 20, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    TEVEEEEZ

  • Avatar
    JuventusBuffon September 20, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    Tevezzzzz

  • Avatar
    DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    TEVEZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!

  • Avatar
    Peter September 20, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    Amazing assist by Pogba

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    Yeah thats what we want!

  • Avatar
    DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    Pereyra coming on for Vidal… Oh wait.

  • Avatar
    Bianconeri_Archer_PH September 20, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    lich’s final ball has been horrible

  • Avatar
    Bianconeri_Archer_PH September 20, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    no morata nor coman

  • Avatar
    JuventusVidal September 20, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    dammit allegri. i wanted to see morata

    • Avatar
      KPS235 September 20, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      doesnt matter, we won and played great,we will see them next time i bet on it

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Next game hopefully

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    No Morata and no Coman is giving me the sads.. But still better than Padoin! #success xD

  • Avatar
    Bianconeri_Archer_PH September 20, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    nice win. another goal from tevez. that was nice from him

  • Avatar
    DutchJuve September 20, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    Not the greatest match, from either side, but we did solid. Failed to score or create a chance multiple times, but saw some good things from Pogba especially. Pereyra was solid again and had a good shot on goal, not sure what we could expect from Vidal yet, but i am satisfied with what he’s shown. And Tevez.. he’s becoming a goalmachine for us. Keep it up Carlos!

  • Avatar
    JuventusVidal September 20, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    Tevez comes clutch again

  • Avatar
    JuventusVidal September 20, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    i hope caceres’s injury isn’t bad

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 20, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    Pretty much the same as in the Chievo game, a good game that isn’t reflected by the result. Okay Chievo was a far more dominant win, but we were clearly better than Milan today.

    Another win, another clean sheet, all that matters in the end. Grande Juve

  • Avatar
    Moderator September 20, 2014 at 8:54 pm

    What a game. What a goal.

    4 games
    maximum points
    6 goals
    0 goals conceded
    Tevez – 4 goals in 4 games, 1 assist

  • Avatar
    juve_mike September 20, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    god damn that was almost a perfect game. Domination.

    • Avatar
      fredthegreat September 21, 2014 at 11:30 am

      Almost a perfect game? You are kidding right? Yes, we were the better team. But it was far from a perfect game. We had a couple of huge blunders in the defense which led to chances. Luckily these blunders is a rare thing by Bonucci and Chellini these days.

      Pereyra played a hell of a game tho. I was never really keen on that signing but after seeing against Milan I feel comfortable playing him until Vidal is 100%.

      • Avatar
        juve_mike September 21, 2014 at 12:02 pm

        Well. Like I said: ‘almost’. The way Milan defended the whole game and barely created anything, to me, is almost perfection, as their threat was nullified

  • Avatar
    Moderator September 20, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVx1sCWDJQ

    Match highlights

  • Avatar
    BelgianJuventino September 21, 2014 at 5:20 am

    So the next game is on Wednesday against Cesena and Atalanta comes next. Then it’s Roma! Time to start some new players for the coming 2 games? Maybe Tevez deserves a rest now, along with maybe Lichtsteiner

    • Avatar
      DutchJuve September 21, 2014 at 5:12 pm

      Atletico between Atalanta and Roma?

      • Avatar
        BelgianJuventino September 22, 2014 at 6:57 am

        I was referring to Serie A games only 😛

        • Avatar
          DutchJuve September 22, 2014 at 3:37 pm

          Yeah but all games matter. Atletico in the same week as Roma might be quite harsh. They better be up for it.

          • Avatar
            BelgianJuventino September 23, 2014 at 6:35 am

            Well yeah, only more reason to start some new players against Cesena and Atalanta, gives the first XI a bit of a break and the new guys get a chance to show what they can do

  • Avatar
    Marc Dominic Zaroli September 21, 2014 at 10:36 am

    https://football-italia.net/56203/zeman-jr-blames-juventus-ref

    Wow, like father like son. Both bloody delusional.

    • Avatar
      BelgianJuventino September 21, 2014 at 1:48 pm

      lol, just lost a game? Blame Juve for it

    • Avatar
      JuventusVidal September 21, 2014 at 2:52 pm

      haha that could be an ad. failed a test? blame juve! have a headache? blame juve! got fired? blame juve!

  • Avatar
    JuveMarchisio September 21, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Pereyra the spirit of Vidal, but not the class… Vidal playing minutes was amazing … really happy to see him in the black and white

  • Avatar
    EricJuve September 21, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    A very good game from Juventus. Pogba has grown a lot since May. His experience in the World Cup gave him the confidence to have a commanding presence in the pitch. I still see he has ample room for improvement from a tactical aspect, especially his defending ability. His technical and physical characteristics are superb. Pereyra was very good, but lacks consistency when compared to Vidal.
    I do believe that this season will ultimately see Juventus, Roma, and AC Milan as protagonists. With the title being fought between Juventus and Roma, while AC Milan puts outside pressure as the season matures.