AC MILAN V JUVENTUS: THE KEYS OF THE MATCH

To put Stamford Bridge behind them, to recover their confidence, to beat a historic rival and move higher in the table, for the crowd at San Siro: AC Milan-Juve is may things, it's history and tradition, rivalry, but tomorrow is, above all, an opportunity to immediately raise their heads. The Rossoneri want to win and continue their success at Empoli in the league, against a Juventus side in good form at the moment. How do you beat the Bianconeri? Let's try to analyse some potential keys of the match. 

THE MOTIVATIONS
The defeat in London, heavy in the scoreline, calls for an immediate Rossoneri reaction. After a draw and a win, came the first defeat of their European campaign: the job of the Rossoneri, now, is to avoid letting the consequences of the Stamford Bridge game spill into the league. The return from the break was more complicated than expected for the team, who had to deal with several injuries that limited them in the last two matches, against Empoli and Chelsea. On the contrary, the two-week break has 'blessed' the Bianconeri, coming back from a September without victories (2 draws and 3 defeats): Allegri's line-up racked up two clear victories against Bologna and Maccabi Haifa, getting back on track in both competitions. The scenario now sees AC Milan called upon to react and Juventus eager to continue this positive momentum of the last two games: who will therefore have the greater motivation at San Siro? Absences are significant for both sides, but a key factor in favour of the Rossoneri could be the return of 25-year-old Theo Hernández. A technical and emotional player capable of making the difference, ready to recompose the left flank with Leão, to drag the team towards an important result, which would also give confidence ahead of Tuesday's return match with Chelsea. On the contrary, Juve will again have to do without the imagination of the suspended Ángel Di María, three assists against Maccabi: Juventus have played five matches without him this year, winning only the most recent one against Bologna. 

STRONG ATTACK
Attack vs defence, the one in San Siro promises to be a very interesting and unique 2-on-2. Juve, without the Argentine Di Maria as said, should reintroduce the two towers in the attacking third: Milik and Vlahović. The Pole, due to some muscle pains, was rested in the midweek Champions League match against Maccabi but is available to start tomorrow night. After facing an attack as fast and unpredictable as Chelsea's, the Rossoneri backline will be up against opponents with different characteristics and attributes. AC Milan have collected two clean sheets in this season's championship, while they had six in their last eight matches in the previous Serie A: in this situation Kjær's experience and physicality would certainly be useful for coach Pioli, who may also consider playing the likes of Gabbia or Thiaw to counter the impact of the Bianconeri's two strikers. AC Milan will have to try to play with a high line, trying wherever possible to limit Juventus in what are their strong points: aerial play and set-pieces. While the Rossoneri are the team that, along with Inter, have conceded the most headed goals (4), Juventus have scored five goals from set-pieces (a title shared with Napoli) out of a total of 12: 42%, a record percentage of goals from set-pieces in this Serie A. A fundamental that also created problems for us at Stamford Bridge and that we will have to try to curb. 

POINTS FROM THE BENCH
In basketball, a statistic that is particularly taken into account is that of 'points from the bench', i.e. the contribution that substitutes on the bench are able to make to the starting five. In a potential deadlocked game, the contribution of the bench can be of fundamental importance. In spite of the numerous absences, Coach Pioli has a very good roster of alternatives to draw on in order to change the set-up during the game, especially in the offensive third. The recoveries of Origi and Rebić allow Giroud to have some breathing space and to look for depth rather than the ball at his feet, Díaz and Adli are ready to give rhythm and freshness in the final third as well as Vranckx can guarantee those breaks in the midfield that, especially in the final, can be decisive. Allegri, on the other hand, can count on the freshness of the youngsters, from Soulé to Miretti, without forgetting Fagioli, players who are increasingly entering the rotation and who are giving excellent indications to the Bianconeri coach. In attack, then, there is always the alternative Moise Kean, who has already impressed the Rossoneri in April 2019 precisely with the Juventus jersey and in December 2017 when he wore that of Verona. 

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