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AC Milan and Juventus will battle it out on Sunday evening, with one side looking to extend a winning run, the other to bounce back.
It has been a strong start to the season by Milan, with four wins in five games, and they are currently at the top of the standings. Juventus have also done well as they’re just one point behind, but the last two league games have ended in draws (four in all competitions!).
As such, the two teams are entering the game in slightly different moods. Massimiliano Allegri stated during his press conference that it will be a tough game, but made sure to highlight just how great these encounters are.
Game date: Sunday, October 5
Kick-off time: 20:45 (CEST)
Venue: Juvenus Stadium
Referee: Marco Guida (VAR: Di Bello)
Team news
Milan are entering this game in a very good moment, not just in terms of results but also injury-wise. Fikayo Tomori was a big doubt for this one, after the minor injury he picked up against Napoli, but he has recovered and will be available tomorrow.
That leaves just Ardon Jashari on the sidelines. During the aforementioned presser, Allegri stated that the midfielder probably needs another month before he’s back in action. He has started running on sand, so everything is going in the right direction.
Of course, due to the red card last time out, Pervis Estupinan will sit this one out and that means Milan will start with another left wing-back for the first time this season (in the league). Everything suggests it will be Davide Bartesaghi as he’s the obvious choice.
Depending on Tomori’s condition, as he didn’t train fully the entire week, Allegri could give the nod to Koni De Winter instead. The Belgian did well off the bench against Napoli and will surely be eager to prove himself from start.
Aside from those two changes, however, the starting eleven is expected to remain the same with Santiago Gimenez getting the chance again. Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leao still haven’t recovered full fitness, but they are getting there, so the Mexican needs a goal soon.
In any case, this means Milan have some strong players on the bench that can make a difference in the second half. Samuele Ricci is another one, and given his ties to Torino, beating Juventus will be even more of a priority for him.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; De Winter/Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Gimenez, Pulisic.
Predicted bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, Athekame, Tomori/De Winter, Odogu, Ricci, Loftus-Cheek, Nkunku, Leao.
Injuries & suspensions: Jashari.
The opponents
Let’s start with the most important thing: Juventus made quite a few key changes over the summer. Jonathan David, Joao Mario, Lois Openda and Edon Zhegrova were all brought in, while Randal Kolo Muani, Samuel Mbangula, Timothy Weah, Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez all said goodbye.
Furthermore, the Bianconeri decided to confirm Tudor as the manager of the team, having taken over mid-season in 2024-25 after the sacking of Thiago Motta. Considering they only lost one game in the league with Tudor, that wasn’t exactly a surprise, also because there weren’t that many options on the market.
The Bianconeri may be fifth in the standings with 11 points, but they are only one point behind Milan in first place. Together with Atalanta and Cremonese, they are also the only unbeaten side, having won the first three games and then drawn the last two.
It’s rather ironic that the issue that effectively got Motta sacked last season, too many draws, has come back to haunt Juventus despite the managerial switch. It seems to be more of a mentality thing, as such, especially when you consider scorelines like 4-4 against Dortmund.
Moving on to the team news for tomorrow, Juventus have a few players on the injury list and the one that hurts them the most is Juan Cabal. That’s saying something as his replacement is the brilliant Andrea Cambiaso, so it’s not much of a blow for the Bianconeri.
Gleison Bremer’s to be or not to be, on the other hand, is a bit more troubling for Tudor. The Brazilian has played almost every game from start this season, but missed the latest Champions League clash due to a muscular injury. His presence for tomorrow is still in doubt.
As for the starting eleven, Tudor should still be able to field a strong one with Dusan Vlahovic leading the line. Joao Mario, as the Serie A newcomer, will be the one for Milan’s forwards to target. Meanwhile, the former Milan man Pierre Kalulu could start as a wing-back.
Predicted Juventus XI (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Joao Mario, Gatti, Kelly; Kalulu, Locatelli, McKennie, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; Vlahovic.
Predicted bench: Perin, Pinsoglio, Bremer, Rugani, K. Thuram, Koopmeiners, Kostic, Adzic, Zhegrova, David, Openda.
Injuries & suspensions: Cabal, Miretti, Milik and potentially Bremer.
Head to head
This fixture has been played 289 times and Juventus hold an advantage, with 89 wins against Milan’s 66. A whopping 73 of them have ended in draws, though, which suggests this is anything but an easy game for either side.
Of course, the head-to-head record has evened out massively since Juve’s golden era came to an end, with just three defeats for the Rossoneri since 2020 onwards. In fact, they have won more than the Bianconeri in that period with five wins.
The most recent clash, however, ended 2-0 in favour of Juventus at Allianz Stadium after goals from Samuel Mbangula and Timothy Weah. Both players have since left the club, which is a funny coincidence. Milan’s last away win against the Bianconeri dates back to May, 2023.
Key facts and stats
➤ There are 106 official previous meetings between the two teams in Turin, from the establishment of the single group to today, that is from 1929/30: 51 Juventus wins, 28 draws and 27 Milan victories.
➤ In 1906, Juventus-Milan decided the scudetto. The title went the Rossoneri (Milan), 0-0 in the first leg in Turin and 2-0 in the return leg in Milan; the second tricolore in Milan’s history.
➤ Milan are without goals at Juventus’ home for 230 minutes: last goal scored by Giroud in the 40th minute of Juventus-Milan 0-1, Serie A, in May 2023.
➤ Juventus, with Cremonese and Atalanta, is one of the three unbeaten teams after 5 rounds of Serie A 2025/26. It’s the second consecutive year without defeats in the first 450 minutes for the bianconeri: a year ago 9 points gained, on this occasion there are already 11.
➤ Juventus is one of the two teams in Serie A 2025/26 (together with Roma) that, in the second half, gain the most points compared to the results at the 45th minute: +5 for the Bianconeri and the Giallorossi. Juventus has scored 4 goals (out of 9 total) in the last quarter hour, including stoppage time, more than anyone in Serie A.
➤ Milan hadn’t been at the top of the table after 5 matchdays since 2020/21: that year, the Rossoneri were alone in the lead with 13 points.
➤ Juventus is one of the 3 teams in Serie A 2025/26 that have the most different scorers: 8 Bianconeri scorers after 5 matchdays, like Napoli and Inter.
➤ Between Igor Tudor and Massimiliano Allegri, this will be the sixth official meeting. In all meetings, the home team has always won.
➤ Against Napoli, Christian Pulisic scored his 15th goal with Milan’s shirt since the start of 2025. In Italy, he is second only to Lautaro Martinez (21).
➤ Christian Pulisic is the first American top scorer in Serie A history (single group format), with his 4 goals in the first 5 matchdays of the 2025/26 tournament. The American is also the player from his country to have scored the most goals in Serie A, 27.
Ones to watch
It goes without saying, starting with Milan, that Pulisic will play a key role tomorrow. He has been on fire lately and with Gimenez getting the nod again, it will most likely be up to the American to provide the creativity once again.
Bartesaghi, assuming he starts, will be another one to keep an eye on. The youngster has proved to be capable enough of playing in big games, but up against the speedy Conceicao, he will surely have a lot of work to do. Not to mention that he must help in attack too.
For the home side, it will be very interesting to see how the new centre-back Joao Mario will take on the game. Pulisic is bound to drift to the left a lot, as we saw against Napoli and Marianucci, so the Portuguese international will be put to the test.
The last choice is obvious, Yildiz. Just like Pulisic, he’s the source of creativity in attack and Milan will have to limit his time on the ball. Above all, they can’t afford to leave space for him on the edge of the box. De Winter, if he starts, will have his hands full.
Prediction
This is an incredibly tough game to call, so I will go with what my heart says: a Milan win. Allegri has been able to restore the crucial confidence and the win against Napoli, especially considering the red card, was a huge confidence boost.
Juventus will cause issues to the Rossoneri’s defence, no doubt, but the feeling is that a strong attack could do the trick for Allegri’s side.
Juventus 1-2 Milan
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