AC Milan vs Juventus
AC Milan did Juventus a massive favour by thrashing second-placed Lazio 3-0 over the weekend. That shocking win allowed Juve to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the Serie A table as the title race looks all but over.
But Milan can still make it a bit more interesting if they manage to beat the leaders at San Siro, which will be easier said than done.
While the Rossoneri have been in fine form of late, Juve have just dominated this rivalry in recent years, which is why the Serie A 2020 betting odds will remain in the Old Lady’s favour.
Talking Points
Milan making some progress under Pioli
AC Milan picked up by far their biggest win of the season as they stunned title contenders Lazio 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Milan had some good fortune with their first two goals. Hakan Calhanoglu’s long-range strike took a significant deflection before looping over Lazio keeper Thomas Strakosha. Strakosha was also desperately unlucky not to keep out Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s penalty despite getting a hand on the ball.
Nevertheless, it was still a deserved win for Milan, who limited Lazio to just eight total shots (two on target) at home.
Milan’s Serie A 2020 results under manager Stefano Pioli have been much better since they’ve returned from the restart. They started out with back-to-back wins over Lecce and Roma, both of which were without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Their only hiccup in their four games back has been a 2-2 draw against bottom club SPAL. Milan went down two goals and needed an own-goal late in stoppage time to pick up a point despite the fact that SPAL were down to 10 men for half the match.
Hakan Calhanoglu has been one of Milan’s standout performers since the restart. The Turkish playmaker has two goals and two assists in his last four games.
Meanwhile, Ante Rebic has also been a revelation since arriving to Milan in January. He scored seven goals during a nine-game stretch in mid-January to late February and has bagged three goals in four games since the restart.
Rebic, who scored Milan’s only goal against Juventus this season, will now get the chance to make up for his costly red card in their second-leg Coppa Italia semi-final against Juve.
Juventus looking like a juggernaut again
After some unconvincing performances in the Coppa Italia to begin the restart, Juventus are back to their old, dominant selves.
Juve have won each of their first four games back in the league by at least two clear goals. They’ve been especially dominant at home, where they’ve scored four goals apiece in big wins over Lecce and Torino.
Paulo Dybala looks back to his best after his bout with COVID-19. The Argentine has scored in all four of Juventus’ Serie A matches post-restart, including the first goal in their last three games.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has also found the target in all four games, although the first two were from the penalty spot. He’s also added two assists.
Maurizio Sarri has gone with a mostly settled starting XI since the restart with Dybala, Ronaldo, and Federico Bernardeschi up front, and Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
Sarri will most likely stick with that same line-up against Milan despite the fact that it hasn’t had all that much success against the Rossoneri this season.
History
AC Milan and Juventus have faced each other three times already this season. Juventus won their first league meeting at home 1-0 thanks to a Paulo Dybala winner.
Milan would once again put up a tough fight as they drew both of their Coppa Italia semi-final legs despite going down to 10 men in both matches. They only went out due to away goals.
But when it comes to league meetings, Juventus have dominated Milan in recent years with 13 wins in their last 14 Serie A matchups. Milan’s last win against Juve was back in 2016.
Betting Tip
AC Milan vs Juventus | Under 2.50 @ 1.89 | |
July 8, 3:45 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have Juventus priced at 2.20 to pick up another win, while Milan are 3.45 underdogs at home. A draw is 3.10.
With Milan’s win at Lazio, Juventus have much more leeway at the top of the table and no longer have as much pressure to win. But even if they did still have to win, Milan have shown that they are tough side for Juve to break down.
The two sides have combined to score just three goals in their three meetings thus far. Moreover, there have been under three goals in nine of their last 12 league meetings in Milan. With Juve likely to be content with a point, I expect another low-scoring affair at the San Siro.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: | |||
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= €20 (Highly confident) | = €10 (CONFIDENT) | = €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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