AC MILAN v TORINO: MATCH PREVIEW

San Siro to respond emphatically on Friday night: more than 65,000 fans are expected to help get the team back on track in the league. Against Torino, who have caused us a few problems already this season, the Rossoneri are desperate for the three points. AC Milan haven’t won a Serie A game since the beginning of January and, with just a few days to go before the Round of 16 Champions League match against Tottenham, the team is looking for a confidence boost. Let's get ready for the match with our usual preview. 

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
Pioli's Rossoneri will head into the game at the end of a week of training that has included the return to the group of Zlatan Ibrahimović, who will be at the coach's disposal against the Granata. After a long period out of action, dating all the way back to May following the Scudetto victory, Ibra is finally back with the team and his contribution will be important in this vital phase of the season. Pioli is expected to name a three-man defence, a line-up already seen on Sunday night in the derby against Inter. Mike Maignan, Fikayo Tomori, Sergiño Dest, Ismaël Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi, all remain unavailable due to injury. The final decisions for the XI, particularly those between Gabbia-Thiaw and Calabria-Saelemaekers, will be made closer to the match. Four players are close to a suspension: Calabria, Leão, Giroud and Rebić. 

This is what Coach Pioli had to say on the eve of the match: "Matches against Torino are always difficult because they press you all over the pitch, and it will be like that this time too. We have to play well and be brave with the ball. We are currently in a moment that is part of football and work, it is more delicate than others but you have to believe in what you are doing. We know that we can do more." 

LATEST FROM TORINO
The Granata, like the Rossoneri, have a number of absences to deal with: Jurić will have to do without Pellegri, Ricci, Zima and Lazaro, while Ilić and Radonjić might make the bench. After the Coppa Italia clash, which saw Torino win at San Siro, the Turin side lost to Spezia in Serie A before racking up a run of three good results in a row in the league: an away win against Fiorentina, a comeback draw at Empoli and a home win against Udinese. The journey in the Coppa Italia, however, came to an end against Fiorentina. Apart from a few injuries, Torino are in  good shape and, as they have already shown, are more than capable of hurting the Rossoneri. 

"AC Milan are a great team with top players, everything about them scares me," said Jurić in his press conference. "Teams like that can be more dangerous when they are in difficult moments, AC Milan run a lot and press with intensity, it will be a challenge of great intensity, dynamism, with little room for error."

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Giovanni Ayroldi, from Molfetta, will referee the San Siro match: born in 1991, this will be his 29th game in the top flight. It will be the second time he has refereed an AC Milan game, this season, and ever: the first was back on 30 August 2022, the 0-0 draw at the Mapei Stadium against Sassuolo. He has also overseen one Torino game, which was the Granata's defeat at San Siro against Inter on 10 September 2022.  

It will be AC Milan v Torino, a rare Friday fixture, to kick off the 22nd matchday of Serie A. Tomorrow, Saturday 11 February, three matches are scheduled: Empoli v Spezia at 15:00, Lecce v Roma at 18:00 and Lazio v Atalanta at 20:45. On Sunday, Udinese v Sassuolo at 12.30, Bologna v Monza at 15:00, Juventus v Fiorentina at 15:00 and Napoli v Cremonese at 20:45. The matchday finishes with two matches on Monday: Verona v Salernitana at 18:30 and Sampdoria v Inter at 20:45. *All times CET.

This is how Serie A table currently stands: Napoli 56; Inter 43; Roma 40; Lazio 39; Atalanta, AC Milan 38; Torino 30; Udinese, Bologna 29; Monza 28; Empoli 26; Fiorentina 24; Juventus, Lecce, Sassuolo 23; Salernitana 21; Spezia 18; Hellas Verona 14; Sampdoria 10; Cremonese 8. 

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