Juventus will attempt to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the Serie A table when they travel to an out-of-form AC Milan team on Saturday night.
With second-placed Napoli not in action until Sunday, Juve have the chance to take a big leap towards another Italian title and they will fancy their chances of making it seven straight league victories over Milan.
AC Milan
© Getty Images
Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic ordered double training sessions following his team's 2-1 defeat at Atalanta last weekend, which left the San Siro outfit in sixth position in the table and now six points behind fifth-placed Inter Milan.
The reverse last Sunday made it four league games without a win for Milan, who have drawn with both Chievo and Lazio, in addition to losing at Sassuolo since the start of the month. A top-five finish would be good enough for a spot in the Europa League for next season, but they have work to do with just seven games of the campaign left.
Eight league defeats this term is not a disastrous record, but they have only won 13 times, with 10 draws harming their challenge for a European finish. They have recorded nine wins at San Siro, however, and only conceded 14 home goals, which is among the best defensive records in the division.
It does appear that the Red and Blacks will improve on last season's 10th-place finish in the table, but for a club that has won the Serie A title on 18 occasions, it does promise to be another underwhelming campaign.
They will have the chance to pick up some silverware this season, however, as they prepare to face Juventus in the final of the Coppa Italia next month - a competition that they have not won since 2003.
Despite Milan's hit-and-miss form this season, they will face Sampdoria, Hellas Verona and Frosinone in three of their next four in the league and a strong run of form could well move them to within touching distance of rivals Inter. They have only won one of their last six in Serie A, however, which is an indication of their troubles.
Recent form: DWLDDL
Juventus
© AFP
An incredible start to the season saw Juventus lose each of their first two league matches and only record one victory in their opening six fixtures. That poor start boosted their rivals' confidence, but with seven games of the campaign left, Juventus are now six points clear of second-placed Napoli at the top of the table.
Massimiliano Allegri's side have not lost in the league since the end of October and since then, they have recorded 20 wins. Bologna were the last team to take points off Juventus in the league, with a goalless draw on February 19. Juventus have responded by winning their last five, however, including a 1-0 success at home to Empoli last weekend.
The reigning champions are not the leading scorers in the league this season, with second-placed Napoli and third-placed Roma both hitting more goals, but the Old Lady have comfortably the best defensive record in the league having only conceded 16 times.
Napoli have collected one more home point than Juventus this season, but Allegri's side have the best away record in the division - winning 11 of their 16 matches and only losing three times in the process.
Juventus are fast closing on a fifth straight Serie A title, but they fell short in the Champions League this season - losing 6-4 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the round of 16. A domestic double would be seen as another impressive campaign, however, and as mentioned, Milan are the team standing in their way in the Italian cup.
In 2016, Juventus have won 13 of their 14 league games - scoring 28 times and conceding twice, which is at least 10 fewer than any other side during the same period. Milan are a wonderful name in Italian football, but there is no question that the visitors will be confident of recording another victory this weekend.
Recent form: DWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWLWW
Team News
© Getty Images
AC Milan will be without the services of M'Baye Niang and Juraj Kucka through injury, while midfielder Andrea Bertolacci misses out through suspension.
Andrea Poli is expected to replace Bertolacci in the middle of the park, but Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano are set to continue in the two striking positions, leaving Mario Balotelli on the bench once again.
Juventus, meanwhile, have both Sami Khedira and Leonardo Bonucci unavailable through suspension, while injured duo Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala will miss out for the Italian champions.
Chiellini's absence could see Patrice Evra drop into central defence, allowing Juan Cuadrado to come into the team at wing-back. Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata, meanwhile, will continue in the final third.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Abate, Zapata, Romagnoli, Antonelli; De Sciglio, Montolivo, Poli, Bonaventura; Bacca, Adriano
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon; Barzagli, Rugani, Evra; Cuadrado, Pogba, Marchisio, Pereyra, Lichtsteiner; Mandzukic, Morata
Head To Head
Milan have lost each of their last six Serie A fixtures against Juventus - including a 1-0 defeat in the reverse match earlier this season, when Dybala scored the only goal of the match.
The Red and Blacks also lost 1-0 at home to the Italian champions last season and have not beaten Juventus at San Siro in any competition since a 1-0 league victory in November 2012.
Saturday's match-up will be the second of three competitive fixtures between the two teams this season, with the pair due to meet in the final of the Coppa Italia at the end of next month.
We say: Milan 0-1 Juventus
Milan are on a rotten run of form against Juventus and their recent form will not have handed their supporters much confidence ahead of this weekend's match. We are expecting a tight game at San Siro, but believe that the visitors will record a narrow victory to move a step closer to another Serie A crown.
No Data Analysis info
