JUVENTUS v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW | OneFootball

AC Milan are set to face Juventus on matchday 22 of the 2024/25 Serie A season: the match will kick off at 18:00 CET on 18 January at the iconic Allienz Stadium.  Led by Coach Sérgio Conceição, the Rossoneri will face Thiago Motta's side with the aim of gaining valuable points to climb the table. It promises to be a thrilling encounter, and here is our Match Preview to introduce it.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO AC Milan come into the game on the back of some mixed results. In their last Serie A outing, the Rossoneri secured an important victory against Como, displaying determination and the desire to bounce back. However, the team's draw against Cagliari before that highlighted the need for greater consistency. Coach Conceição's team are ready to give their all to continue to improve their league position, but the the Rossoneri will have to make do without a few players. In addition to the already known absentees, following the clash against Como, Thiaw and Pulisic have been added to the injury list, while Morata is suspended. Gabbia, Jiménez and Abraham are respectively expected to come into the side, with Bennacer, Fofana (the only player one booking away from suspension) and Reijnders ready to line up in midfield again.

"These are two good sides with talented players, but every game is different," said the Coach on the eve of the game. "We have a lot of big games in the coming month. We have deciders in the Champions League and Coppa Italia, while we want to move up the table in the league. From that game in Riyadh, I want to see that same spirit of not letting our opponents have much. We need to be alert. I want to see a solidity at the back and a desire to attack the opposition goal."

LATEST FROM JUVENTUS Juventus have been involved in plenty of draws recently. After being held by Torino, another stalemate followed against Atalanta, with the Bianconeri looking solid at the back but lacking ruthlessness in front of goal. Juventus will be aiming to make the most of home advantage to return to winning ways and will be boosted by the return of Dušan Vlahović. Motta didn't fully commit to starting the Serbian striker, but, should he play, González, Koopmeiners and Yıldız are likely to line up behind him. Milik, Perin and Francisco Conceição are out, while Fagioli is the only Juventus player on the verge of suspension. Alberto Costa could make his Bianconeri debut, at least from the bench.

"I can see that the team are growing, but we're not happy with our results or the league table because we wanted to be higher," said Thiago Motta during his pre-match press conference. "Another important match awaits tomorrow against a side we respect. Their absences? They have high-quality players who are used to playing big matches. We'll be facing the best possible AC Milan side, and the important thing is for us to be ready to play our game as best we can in order to come away with a win."

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

WHERE TO WATCH JUVENTUS v AC MILAN ON TV In Italy, the game will be live on DAZN. To watch Juventus v AC Milan from a different country, please consult the 'AC Milan on TV' page. Follow Matchday on Milan TV: live coverage will begin at 17:15 CET until shortly before kick-off, with the game being followed by interviews and Coach Conceição's press conference. Don't miss out on our coverage via acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App (where the full deferred broadcast will be available in the coming days), our official social media channels and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A Juventus v AC Milan will be refereed by Davide Massa, who is one of the most experienced officials in the Italian top flight and set to take charge of a match between the Bianconeri and Rossoneri for the second time, after previously doing so in March 2017. Massa has been the man in the middle for 23 fixtures involving the Rossoneri, the last of which was Lazio v AC Milan earlier on this campaign. Bindoni and Scatragli will be his assistants, while Bonacina will perform the role of fourth official. Mazzoleni, assisted by Abisso, will oversee VAR.

Roma 3-1 Genoa kicked off matchday 21 in Serie A on Friday evening. On Saturday, Bologna v Monza (15:00 CET) and Atalanta v Napoli (20:45 CET) will be played either side of Juventus v AC Milan. On Sunday, the following matches are scheduled: Fiorentina v Torino (12:30 CET), Cagliari v Lecce (15:00 CET), Parma v Venezia 15:00 CET, Hellas Verona v Lazio (18:00 CET) and Inter v Empoli (20:45 CET). Como v Udinese will bring the latest round of fixtures to an end on Monday.

The current Serie A table: Napoli 47; Inter* 44; Atalanta 43; Lazio 36; Juventus 34; Fiorentina* 32; AC Milan* 31; Bologna* 30; Roma 27; Udinese 26; Genoa 23; Torino 22; Lecce and Empoli 20; Parma, Como and Hellas Verona 19; Cagliari 18; Venezia 14; Monza 13. (* = one game in hand; Roma and Genoa one game more)

Subscribe to the AC Milan WhatsApp channel!