Juventus take on Milan at Turin’s Stadio delle Alpi tonight in the biggest match of the season – a showdown between Italy’s two most successful teams and the top contenders for the league title.
Serie A leaders Juventus, coming off a 1-0 win at Bologna in a match marred by disputed referee calls last Sunday, have been impressive so far with 12 wins, two draws and a loss in 15 rounds.
They lead defending champions Milan by four points in the standings, 38 to 34, mostly due to the slip of the Milan powerhouse in a home match against Messina early in the campaign.
Milan thrashed Fiorentina 6-0 on Sunday on goals by their international stars Hernan Crespo, Andriy Shevchenko and Clarence Seedorf.
But the offensive show of the Milan team did not worry Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who said he expected a tactical match in Turin, with tight defence and few scoring chances.
“Milan look in a better form right now as we are catching our breath following a full-speed start,” said Buffon, the national team ‘keeper.
But he said Milan would have to play cautiously because his team could increase its league lead to seven points with a win.
Today’s match is expected to draw a sellout crowd of 70,000 in the usually half-empty Delle Alpi. It features Juventus’ league-best defence, which has conceded just seven goals, against one of the most prolific offences in the competition – Milan have scored 27 goals.
Shevchenko, who has netted 11 goals in 12 league matches this season, said he was looking forward to an impressive performance to cap his Golden Ball award as best European player of the year, announced this week.
Last year’s Golden Ball winner, Pavel Nedved, will lead a Juventus team which also includes striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who signed in the summer.
Nedved, often the key to a Juventus success, scored the winner on a late free kick at Bologna.
National team coach Marcello Lippi, who was replaced by Fabio Capello at Juventus this season, said he expected a draw.
“Both are powerful, well balanced teams. It will be difficult for either side to prevail,” said Lippi.
Juventus, owned by the Agnelli family of auto tycoons, and the side of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi will field squads filled with international stars.
Among them are Brazilians Kaka, Dida, Cafu and Emerson, France’s Lilian Thuram, Sweden’s Ibrahimovic, Argentine Crespo, Czech Nedved and Ukraine Schevchenko.
Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Ronaldo, who has played in Italy with Inter, told sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport he was hoping for an Milan victory to make the title run closer and offer Inter the chance to come back.
Inter, the only unbeaten Serie A team, trail Juventus by 17 points following 12 draws in 15 matches.
Capello and Milan’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, did not immediately announce the lineups for today’s match.
However, in the absence of injured striker David Trezeguet, Ibrahimovic would be supported in front by either Alessandro Del Piero or Marcelo Zalayeta.
Milan’s offence was likely to be led by Schevchenko, Crespo and Kaka.
Other 16th-round matches, on Sunday, include third-placed Udinese hosting Lazio, Inter taking on lowly Brescia, fourth-place Cagliari at Palermo and Roma playing Parma at Stadio Olimpico.
Udinese, the surprise team of the season, trail Juventus by 10 points.