Serie A: AC Milan Cannot Squander Precious Points in Turin

Torino vs AC Milan

AC Milan continue to lead the Serie A table despite bottling their chances to break away from the pack in these last few weeks. With several challengers hot on their heels, Stefano Pioli’s side cannot afford to drop more points when they head to Turin this weekend.

I Rossoneri are still in good shape with 67 points while I Partenopei and I Nerazzurri have 66 and 63 respectively. And with all of them dealt with winnable matches, this matchday will certainly pose huge ramifications.

They will face a Torino team who are looking to improve their form overall. Il Toro are currently 11^th with 38 points and they’re aiming for a Top 10 finish by the end of this season.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds pitch for an easy win for AC Milan especially looking into their last few meetings where they were simply the better team, and they’re looking to recapture such form in Turin.

Talking Points

Torino aim to build a winning streak

Il Toro were winless in their last eight games and they’re optimistic that their recent win over Salernitana would give them the momentum that they need.

Andrea Belotti – who’s having a subpar campaign by his standards due to a serious hamstring injury few months ago – got on the board for Il Toro as he slotted home the first-half penalty for his fifth goal of the season.

The 28-year-old will continue to play a huge role for Torino and he’ll be joined up front by Josip Brekalo and Antonio Sanabria – who have accounted for 11 goals and three assists so far this term.

While Torino aren’t exactly known to be a prolific attacking side, it’s their underrated defence that has kept them afloat since they haven’t surrendered more than one goal in these last two months.

Their 1-1 draw against defending champions Inter Milan in particular was one of their best performances this year, which just goes to show that they’re capable of keeping up with the big boys.

Torino are keen on securing successive clean sheets for the first time since September in order to gain a measure of revenge for their painful loss against AC Milan, who scored seven goals in their last Turin visit.

AC Milan still struggling in the final third

AC Milan’s margin for error is getting smaller by the day. They simply need three points to keep the lead in the standings, but they cannot be complacent since Torino aren’t pushovers.

Their lack of clinical finishing has been a huge concern lately given their array of talented forwards, although they have yet to lose a game since January 18.

Their defencive depth will take a hit since Alessio Romagnoli is now considered doubtful to play while Alessandro Florenzi and Simon Kjaer are still unavailable. Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu shall continue their partnership at the heart of their back four.

Furthermore, Stefano Pioli is leaning towards starting Franck Kessie to add more muscle in the midfield while Olivier Giroud should continue to lead up front alongside top scorer Rafael Leao and Alexis Saelemaekers. 

History

AC Milan have been dominant against Torino particularly in their last four league encounters. During the said stretch, I Rossoneri have won four straight with an aggregate scoreline of 11-0.

I Rossoneri could win five straight Serie A games against Il Toro without conceding against a single opponent for the second time ever, also doing so against Bari between 1964 to 1985.

Their last five-game winning streak against Torino dates back to 1952, and the last time that they’ve won twice in a row at Turin was in 2008 where Carlo Ancelotti was still the head coach.

The reverse fixture between these two calcios was a 1-0 victory for AC Milan last October where Olivier Giroud’s 14^th-minute goal was enough to secure the three points for Stefano Pioli’s side.

Betting Tip

AC Milan are the favoured side by the Serie A 2022 odds. They are priced to win at 1.95, while Torino are installed at 3.85 and a draw is at 3.35 in the 1X2 market.

With both sides struggling to score lately, we reckon that this game will not have too many goals and Serie A 2022 highlights – making Under 2.50 @ 1.75 something worth considering as another option. There’s significant pressure for I Rossoneri on this one as dropping points will do little to aid their cause and it may complicate things in the Scudetto race. For sure, Napoli and Inter Milan will be rooting for Torino to frustrate the league leaders.

 

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