Don’t look now, but AC Milan is charging hard in Serie A as the league enters its last nine matches of the 2019-20 season. They are 3-0 in league play since the COVID-19 hiatus came to an end, including a 3-0 road shellacking of Lazio in their last match. Their only loss across all competitions since Italian soccer restarted came against their next opponent — Juventus. Juventus beat AC Milan in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia, 2-0, but AC Milan has seemed to respond to that most vigorously. Juventus leads Serie A with 75 points, while AC Milan sits in seventh place with 46 points, but just two points behind fifth-place AS Roma, and fifth place means a slot in the UEFA Europa League for 2020-21. Can Milan keep the winning going, or will Juventus drop a bucket of cold water on their hot streak? Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this Serie A showdown. Let’s see how the Serie A Odds will be for the Milan vs Juventus.
Serie A: AC Milan vs Juventus FC (July 7)
- When: Tuesday, July 7, 2020, 3:45 pm ET
- Where: San Siro, Milan
- TV: ESPN+
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- Serie A Odds: Juventus FC 2.26 / Draw 3.56 / AC Milan 3.58
Why Juventus Will Win
Yes, AC Milan has been on a hot streak since league play resumed. However, Juventus has been hot basically all season, with a record of 24-3-3. They hosted Torino on Saturday, and they dealt the Serie A basement dwellers a 4-1 whipping. It took the home team just three minutes to tally, as Paulo Dybala got the scoring going. Then Juan Cuadrado added a goal in the 29th minute. Andrea Belotti cut the deficit in half, converting from the penalty spot in injury time at the end of the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo restored Juventus’ two-goal lead in the 61st minute, and then Juventus forced an own goal with nine minutes left to deliver the final 4-1 result.
Possession was dead even in the match, and Juventus barely edged Torino in shots, 19-18 (7-6 on target). There were only 19 fouls between the two teams, but the referee showed six yellow cards (two to Juventus). Torino was able to force eight corners, and if Torino was able to generate that sort of offense, one wonders what AC Milan will be able to do with their superior level of talent (in comparison to Torino). If you like Juventus, you see them squelching the Milan offense just like they did in the Coppa Italia semis.
Why AC Milan Will Win
AC Milan took down an SS Lazio team that had also gone 2-0 since Serie A restarted, and they did it in convincing fashion. Hakan Calhanoglu got the visitors ont he board in the 23rd minute, and then Zlatan Ibrahimovic slotted home a shot from the penalty spot in the 34th minute. Milan went into the locker room up 2-0, and then Ante Rebic added an insurance goal in the 59th minute.
AC Milan held possession for 58 percent of the match. While Lazio did lead in shots, 8-7, Milan had more on target (5-2). The teams committed a dozen fouls each, and each side saw one yellow card. Lazio was able to force five corners, to just one for Milan, but Lazio simply could not break through. They retain their hold on second place in Serie A, but now they are just four points clear of Inter Milan and five points clear of Atalanta. If you see Milan winning here, you see their momentum continuing as they get revenge on Juventus for that Coppa Italia result.
Milan vs Juventus The Final Word
Juventus has not yet sewn up their Serie A title, and so they have plenty of motivation — but AC Milan might have even more, given their loss to Juventus in the Coppa Italia and their chase for that Europa League slot. If there is a time to think about the underdog, this is it, as Milan comes in having just spanked Lazio. You can be sure Juventus watched that film, though, and will be prepared. I see Milan swiping an early goal but then Juventus coming back to take the equalizer. I predict a final score of Juventus 1, AC Milan 1.
