Juventus vs. AC Milan: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Reigning Italian champions Juventus will play host to European powerhouse AC Milan on Sunday in Turin in a match that could propel the winner to new heights in Serie A this season.
Although Juve will be at a significant advantage playing at home and without fear of Mario Balotelli suiting up for the opposition, there's no question that the short-handed visitors will be game considering they're in dire need of a positive result this weekend.
Early-season losses to Hellas Verona and Napoli paired with draws with Torino and Bologna have Massimiliano Allegri's side desperate for answers.
Will they find them against Juve, or will Milan's woes continue?
With the stage set for a pivotal Seria A showdown, here is everything you need to know.
Date: Sunday, October 6, 2013
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. BST
Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
Watch: beIN Sport en Espanol (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sport Play (U.S.), BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
Odds*:
Juventus: 51.4 percent
AC Milan: 23.6 percent
Draw: 24.9 percent
*Odds according to Bloomberg Sports
Top Storyline: No Balotelli, No Problem for Milan?
Milan have managed to stay afloat without dominating striker Mario Balotelli in the lineup in their past two Serie A matches, drawing against Bologna on the road and beating Sampdoria at home.
But Balotelli's three-match suspension means that Allegri won't have his mercurial star on Sunday against the defending Serie A champions. That could be a serious problem for Milan considering that Balotelli scored the club's only goal in its most recent match against Ajax in the Champions League earlier this week.
Balotelli is also Milan's leading goal scorer in 2013-14, netting three goals in four Seria A appearances.
Attacking talents like Robinho and Andrea Poli have stepped up in Balotelli's absence recently, but goals will be extremely difficult to come by against Juventus, who have conceded just four in six matches and only two at home this season.
With Balotelli out the mix, Allegri will need to find scoring from somewhere else or risk coming away empty-handed.
Prediction
Though Milan are a dangerous team, it's never smart to pick against Juventus in Turin. The reigning champions won 14 of 19 Serie A matches at home last year (only Napoli won as many) and are 2-0-0 at Juventus Stadium to begin this season.
With one of the world's top keepers in Gianluigi Buffon protecting the goal and a stout defense in front to assist him, you've got to love Juve's chances of winning their fourth straight Serie A match this weekend.
The two clubs traded 1-0 victories at home a season ago. Don't expect the scoreline to look all that different on Sunday night.
Juventus 2, AC Milan 1
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