Serie A Preview: Torino vs Milan – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Serie A title hopefuls Milan travel to Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino to take on bottom-half strugglers Torino on Monday night. The visitors’ eyes remain firmly locked on a landmark 20th Scudetto amid the most gripping title race in Europe’s top-five leagues.

Torino entered December frustrated after back-to-back defeats to Lecce and Como extended their winless streak in Serie A to five matches (D3, L2). Having accumulated fewer points at this stage of the season than in eight of their last ten top-flight campaigns, Marco Baroni’s men headed into this round only four points clear of the drop zone.

Needless to say, Baroni has come under heavy scrutiny despite taking several huge scalps this season. With Torino fighting to regain confidence and get back on track after a dreadful sequence, Milan’s visit threatens to further complicate the former Lazio manager’s life in Turin.

Milan will be out to tighten their grip on the top of the table after Inter and Napoli leapfrogged them over the weekend. Massimiliano Allegri’s charges need all three points to draw level with Antonio Conte’s reigning champions, who squeezed past Juventus in Sunday’s Serie A derby.

Furthermore, the Rossoneri will be keen to bounce back from a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Lazio in midweek Coppa Italia action. Without the distraction of European football and the domestic cup competition, Milan can now focus entirely on conquering Serie A for the first time since 2022.

Match Preview

Torino

Despite their underwhelming campaign, Torino have fared outstandingly against Serie A’s top teams since a calamitous 5-0 defeat to Inter on the opening weekend. Indeed, they have since secured 1-0 victories over Roma and Napoli and managed a goalless draw against Juventus.

While this clash looks daunting on paper, Torino can draw confidence from their recent record against Milan. After losing six of their eight previous matches against the Rossoneri, they’ve gone unbeaten in their last three head-to-head meetings (W2, D1), including a 2-1 win in this corresponding fixture in February.

However, after an awful 5-1 rout at the hands of Como in their last league outing in Turin, Baroni’s lads are at risk of losing consecutive home games in Serie A for the first time this term (W2, D2, L2). Torino’s notoriously slow starts could be the architect of their demise here, with the Granata conceding a league-high 14 first-half goals this season.

Milan

In stark contrast to Torino’s abysmal first-half displays, Milan have conceded a league-low three goals before the break heading into this round. Moreover, Allegri’s men have impressively scored the opening goal in ten Serie A games so far, outmatching all other domestic rivals in this category.

Buoyed by a 12-game unbeaten league run (W8, D4), Milan seem primed to build on a narrow 1-0 home triumph over Lazio last weekend. Yet, it’s not all rosy by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, the visitors have drawn their last three top-flight matches on the road.

That run doesn’t include a hard-fought victory over Inter at the San Siro. As a result, Milan could record four consecutive away draws in Serie A for the first time since 1999. Allegri might be the best man to prevent that from happening, having beaten Torino in 16 of his 23 previous managerial encounters against the Granata (D6, L1).

Team News

Giovanni Simeone is likely to miss today’s clash due to injury, joining long-term absentees Ivan Ilic, Perr Schuurs, and Ardian Ismajli on the sidelines. With the Argentine set to watch the game from the stands, Che Adams has emerged as a frontrunner to partner up with Duvan Zapata in the final third.

As for Milan, Zachary Athekame, Santiago Gimenez, and Youssouf Fofana are on the sidelines. After being reduced to cameo roles against Lazio on Thursday, Christian Pulisic and Luka Modric will return to the starting lineup, with Samuele Ricci expected to take Fofana’s place in midfield.

Torino vs Milan Potential Starting Lineups

Torino (3-5-2): Israel; Tameze, Maripan, Coco; Pedersen, Casadei, Asllani, Vlasic, Lazaro; Adams, Zapata.

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Ricci, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.

Torino vs Milan Prediction

Torino’s rough patch puts Milan in a prime position to address their travel sickness and avenge recent upsets against the Granata. However, it won’t be a walk in the park for Allegri’s side, as we expect a single goal to make the difference at the final whistle.