After getting back to winning ways with a bang, AC Milan play their penultimate game of the season, as they visit Torino on Saturday.
Having now confirmed a second-place finish in Serie A, the tough task of beating mid-table Toro awaits Stefano Pioli's side.
Match preview
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After making some surprising selections for last week's 5-1 home win over Cagliari - such as dropping Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez - Pioli was ultimately vindicated, as following six games without a win, Milan finally ended their drought.
Introduced as a second-half substitute, Leao still got his name on the scoresheet, alongside Christian Pulisic, whose brace took him onto 19 goal involvements from 34 appearances since arriving in Italy.
Though the Rossoneri have spilled too many points to push Inter Milan close in the Scudetto race - with two games to go, they trail their city rivals by 18 points in the standings - finding the net has not proved a problem in 2024.
Since the start of the year, Milan have scored at least three times in half of their 18 league matches; only Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have managed to do so more often throughout Europe's top five leagues.
Already assured of Champions League qualification, the second-city club have little left to play for, so speculation regarding Pioli's probable successor continues to fill the void.
Just two years after pipping Inter to the title, Milan's championship-winning coach is expected to depart this summer, but before a potential farewell at San Siro next week, his side face a tricky trip to Turin.
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One of Italy's most obdurate opponents, Torino have lost just twice at home all season - and they also have recent history on their side this weekend.
The Granata have won three of their last five league games against Milan in Turin - as many as in the previous 24 - so they may feel confident of nullifying their free-scoring visitors and wrapping up a top-10 finish.
In 2024, Ivan Juric has seen his well-drilled team concede only two goals in nine home matches - fewer than anyone else in the division - and their overall defensive record on home turf is the best across Serie A this season.
Torino had, however, failed to score in four straight matches before Juric returned to his former club Hellas Verona last Sunday, seeking both goals and points to have any chance of snatching a place in European competition.
Though a spirited fightback, capped by Pietro Pellegri's 83rd-minute winner, ultimately put Verona to the sword, they still have to overtake ninth-placed Napoli, then hope Atalanta BC and Fiorentina both win their respective UEFA finals.
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Having been enjoying the brightest spell of his first Serie A season, Milan winger Samu Chukwueze has now been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a thigh injury sustained against Cagliari.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek remains a major doubt and Theo Hernandez may miss out through illness; first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan is now ready to make his comeback, but stand-in stopper Marco Sportiello could still keep his place.
As Matteo Gabbia must serve a suspension, any two from Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw will be paired in central defence.
Set to start on the bench in his last away game before moving to MLS, Olivier Giroud is aiming to boost a tally of 14 league goals this season: the French forward averages one every 86 minutes against Torino.
While Milan have shared the scoring burden around in 2023-24, Toro's Duvan Zapata has been directly involved in 45% of his team's goals so far (11 goals and four assists) - that rate tops the charts throughout Serie A.
Both Zapata and influential defender Alessandro Buongiorno are expected to overcome injury issues to start at Stadio Olimpico Grande, but Nikola Vlasic (thigh), Gvidas Gineitis (knee), Koffi Djidji (muscular) and Perr Schuurs (ACL) are all unavailable.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Buongiorno, Masina; Bellanova, Ilic, Tameze, Rodriguez; Ricci; Pellegri, Zapata
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Sportiello; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Terracciano; Musah, Bennacer, Reijnders; Pulisic, Jovic, Leao
We say: Torino 1-1 AC Milan
Only runaway champions Inter have scored more away goals than Milan's 20 this calendar year, but Torino are capable of frustrating them: a low-scoring draw is the likeliest outcome, as Toro do not lay out the red carpet for their visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
