AC Milan vs. Torino: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

The season kicks off with AC Milan hosting Torino at Stadio San Siro. The Rossoneri are determined to reclaim the Scudetto. Whatever the case, we have little doubt Torino will have stiff opposition under new leader Paulo Fonseca. Home team standouts include summer acquisition Alvaro Morata and the debut of defender Strahinja Pavlovic in Serie A.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

AC Milan's performance from last season was quite a journey. The Rossoneri got off to a great start, winning seven of their first eight games. But in their previous seven games, they managed only one victory. Morata and Pavlovic came in as new players, while De Ketelaere departed.

Last year in Serie A, Torino came in at number 10. Il Toro's offence was the fourth lowest, although they still scored 36 goals in 38 matches. Their defence, however, was ranked fourth-best due to the same amount of goals surrendered. In their six preseason friendly, Torino came out on top four times.

A four-season slump has ended, and AC Milan is back in the driver's seat. Over this period, the Lombard squad has never finished worse than fourth place, and in 2022, they even won the Scudetto. Inter raced ahead of the Rossoneri to win the championship last season. However, they performed well all season long, finishing two points clear of third place in Serie A. The appearance of Paulo Fonseca, who has been heavily criticized by fans, on the bench will be an exciting test for AC Milan's aspirations of contending for the Scudetto this season.

Despite being used to languishing in the lower echelons of the league, Torino dropped seven spots to finish ninth in Serie A last season. This was the third consecutive season that the Piedmontese had placed tenth. Ivan Juric's squad is hoping to make some strides this season to qualify for Europe. Since the 2019–2020 season, Torino has been absent from European competition.

We must mention the departure of Giroud, a French striker who has served AC Milan with honour since his arrival; he was with Los Angeles FC last year, scored 15 goals, and assisted on 8 more. In addition, veteran Kjaer departed when his contract expired, and the club permanently moved Krunic (Fenerbahce) and De Ketelaere (Atalanta), who had been loaned away the previous season. On the flip side, the first team is bolstered by the arrival of the youthful defender Simic (19 years old from AC Milan U19) and the promising right-back Jimenez (19 years old from Real Madrid). American winger Pulisic (12 goals, 8 assists) and Rafael Leao (9 goals, 9 assists in SA) remain in the lineup despite the best efforts of the other players. The Rossoneri rely heavily on the ability of Loftus-Cheek, an offensive midfielder from England. Even French stars Maignan and Theo Hernandez may be said to have this trait.

Captain Buongiorno oversaw the Torino defence for several seasons and has sailed to Naples. Furthermore, the contracts of veteran defenders Djidji and Ricardo Rodriguez were not extended when they ended. The team permanently signed left defender Masina from Udinese and striker Zapata from Atalanta, who has 13 goals and 4 assists in South Africa, after loaning them out to the club the previous season. Bellanova, the full-back, is still with the club. Influential midfielders Ricci and Ilic and attacking players Vlasic and Sanabria are also in this situation.

Our Predictions

Under 3.5 goals

Torino has played 29 consecutive road games in the Serie A with under 3.5 goals. Given that this has happened in 18 of AC Milan's past 21 outings, it would be surprising if more than three goals were scored in this match.

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