Supercoppa Italiana Preview: Juventus vs Milan – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

A place in the Supercoppa Italiana final is on the line as Juventus and Milan lock horns at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. With both teams adrift of the Serie A title pace, this seems like a perfect opportunity to avoid another trophyless season.

Juventus headed to Saudi Arabia as the only team in Italy’s top flight yet to lose a league match this season. However, Thiago Motta’s men have earned the tag ‘stalemate specialists,’ with 11 of their 18 games ending level (W7). That was the case in a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina in their last outing of 2024.

The record-time Italian champions dropped the lead twice in that meeting but still extended their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 14 matches. Unfortunately for the Bianconeri faithful, Juventus shared the spoils nine times during that sequence (W5), testifying to their inability to turn draws into victories.

On the other hand, Milan failed to beat Roma in their last league fixture of 2024. Paulo Dybala canceled Tijjani Reijnders’ opener in a 1-1 draw at Stadio San Siro, spelling the end of Paulo Fonseca’s disappointing tenure. Despite only losing once in their last 12 matches (W7, D4), the Rossoneri sacked the Portuguese manager immediately after the game.

Another Portuguese tactician has taken over the reins. Indeed, Sergio Conceicao has replaced his compatriot in the dugout and will face his son, Francisco, on his touchline debut. He’ll likely need to put his feelings aside on Friday as he desperately needs a winning start.

Match Preview

Juventus

Despite being the most successful club in Supercoppa Italiana history with nine titles, Juventus last appeared in this competition three years ago. Furthermore, they haven’t won this trophy since 2020 but have fond memories of their latest Super Cup showdown against Milan.

Juventus squeaked past the Rossoneri 1-0 in January 2019. Another clean sheet is on the cards here, considering they’ve kept a clean sheet across their last three meetings with Milan (W1, D2). However, entertainment was at a premium when the eternal rivals met in Serie A action in November.

A scoreless draw at San Siro saw Juventus generate a miserable 0.45 xG. That wasn’t an anomaly, knowing five of the last six encounters between Milan and the Bianconeri have featured under 1.5 goals, with three ending 0-0.

Against this backdrop, three of Juventus’ last four matches have contained precisely four goals, suggesting this could be a time for a change of scenery.

Milan

Milan’s wastefulness in front of goal tells a different story. They have failed to score more than once in four of their last five games but only lost one (W2, D2, L1). Losing standout winger Rafael Leao to injury has seemingly derailed Milan’s scoring prospects, with the Portuguese winger still unavailable for selection.

Leao’s absence can’t be an excuse for the club’s underwhelming position in the Serie A standings. Indeed, Milan finished the calendar year in eighth, five points adrift of sixth-placed Juventus but with a game in hand. That only amplifies the necessity to claim Supercoppa Italiana glory in Saudi Arabia.

However, Milan won their seventh and last trophy in this competition in 2016. Their most recent appearance in 2022 ended in defeat against fierce rivals Inter. The Rossoneri could avenge that result in the grand final as the Nerazzurri overcame Atalanta in the other semi-final tie last night.

First, they must beat Juventus outside Serie A for the first time since 2012. Four victories from their last six competitive games away from San Siro (D1, L1) could inspire confidence.

Team News

Juventus arrived in Riyadh without long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal, and Gleison Bremer. Motta had hoped to have Tim Weah back from a thigh injury, but the USMNT forward had to stay in Italy to accelerate his recovery.

In addition to Leao, Milan departed for the Middle East without six other first-team stars. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Samuel Chukwueze, Luka Jovic, Alessandro Florenzi, Noah Okafor, and Yunus Musah aren’t at Conceicao’s disposal for this mouth-watering fixture.

Juventus vs Milan Potential Starting Line-ups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Jimenez; Abraham.

Juventus vs Milan Prediction

A ‘new manager bounce’ could be a factor. However, Conceicao lacks too many players. It’s worth mentioning that Milan only had one shot on target in the abovementioned duel in November despite having the entire squad fit. One goal could decide the winner, and Juventus seem well-positioned to score it.