Key Battles That Will Shape AC Milan's Clash with Juventus

In one of the most anticipated matches of the weekend, Milan travel to Turin to take on Juventus in their brand new stadium

The story-lines for this match center around suspensions and injuries, as some of the most technically gifted players will be out of the match.

Here are some of the key battles that will shape Milan's clash against Juventus:

Alessandro Matri vs. his old teammates:

The misfiring striker purchased from Juventus for a whopping 11m. returns to the place he called home for the past two seasons in a different jersey. 

Still needing his first goal for the Rossoneri, the 29-year-old will be starting up front for coach Massimiliano Allegri's men as Mario Balotelli is serving the final banishment of his three-match suspension.

Matri knows the Juve back-line very well from practice and will look to exploit their weaknesses. Unfortunately, the same could be said for the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and company, who probably stifled the former Bianconeri substitute on more than one occasion in heated practice skirmishes. 

Nigel De Jong vs. Andrea Pirlo:

There's no doubting that the most effective way to quell the brilliance of Andrea Pirlo is to stick an athletic defensive midfield on him. When Pirlo has been man-marked, he has often been taken out of games -- unable to turn and spray passes