Serie A: Torino Aiming to Bounce Back at Home

Torino vs AC Milan

AC Milan and Torino are both looking to bounce back as we look ahead to the fifth matchday of the Serie A.

I Rossoneri will go on the road to try and get their third win of the season after losing to their bitter rivals in Inter last week, but it’s going to be easier said than done as they’ll do it in the historic Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Torino, on the other hand, are looking to find their footing on their home pitch after losing against Sampdoria the last time around. Like Milan, Torino has collected only six points so far this season.

The home team is at the 10^th spot while AC Milan is not far behind by holding the 12^th spot at the table.

SBOBET takes a look on these two teams and on how they would fare for their upcoming match on Friday.

Talking Points

Possible lineup changes for AC Milan

AC Milan have been getting a mixed bag of results over the past few games, and their performances might just indicate that there are some things that they should improve on as they go along.

With two wins and two losses four games in, the Marco Giampaolo-mentored squad has not yet found the right combination for their lineups, particularly on their attack and midfield where they have struggled.

AC Milan sit on the 12th spot of the Serie A table — AC Milan’s manager Marco Giampaolo gives indications to his players during a Serie A soccer match

I Rossoneri only scored two goals in four fixtures and the eye-test suggests that they’re struggling in generating quality opportunities for shots on goal even when they control much of the possession.

Their first loss of the season against Udinese was the perfect example of that as they controlled 60-per cent of the possession and had a better passing accuracy at 88-per cent. However, they had zero shots on target even if they had 14 total shots.

Milan were supposed to be a dark horse contender for the title this season while producing some of the best Serie A 2019 highlights as well. But with their underwhelming 2019/20 campaign so far, their loyal fans are disappointed of Giampaolo’s inability to get the job done.

The Swiss-born manager is set to make lineup changes once again for I Rossoneri for this upcoming match. He is reportedly planning to bring in as many as four new signings in the starting XI.

Rafael Leao should be in the starting XI especially with midfielder Lucas Paqueta out due to a flexor problem. Krzysztof Piatek, meanwhile, will aim to have a better performance especially since he was their breakout player last term with 22 goals made.

Ismael Bennacer and Theo Hernandez are most likely to shore up the defence for I Rossoneri along with the centre-back combination of Alessio Romagnoli and Mateo Musacchio.

Torino’s chase for a top-six seed

Walter Mazzarri and his crew missed out on a Europa League berth last term after finishing seventh and they are optimistic that they could go for it this time at season’s end.

Like Milan, I Granata have two wins and two losses. However, their performances looked good for the most part when looked closely.

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In their 3-2 victory against Atalanta, Torino put out a strong second half to break away after a tight first half. Even with fewer shots and possession, their 12-minute second half surge courtesy of Alejandro Remiro and Armando Izzo sealed the deal for Walter Mazzarri’s side.

Their defence still provides headaches for the opposition this term. It can be noted that I Granata conceded only 37 goals – good for fifth overall in the league last season.

Unlike Milan, Torino’s core remained intact with the likes of Andrea Belotti, Simone Zaza, Armando Izzo, and Simone Verdi still there, and they added young excellent defenders in Ola Aina and Kevin Bonifazi who came from Chelsea and SPAL respectively.

I Granata aren’t expected to really contend against the likes of Juventus and Inter this term. But with the way they’re going so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if they finished at the top-six at least at the end of the season.

History

In their previous match last April, Torino managed to post a clean sheet win over AC Milan with a score of 2-0. The combination of Andrea Belotti and Alejandro Remiro did the trick for them even with fewer made passes and possession.

Prior to that, their last four matches have ended in a draw with two of them being goalless. AC Milan’s last victory against Torino was a 2-1 win back in January 2017.

I Granata have been strong at home as they were unbeaten against Milan in their last five meetings over at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Betting Tip

	Torino vs AC Milan	Torino Asian Handicap +0.00 @1.76
	September 27, 03:00 (GMT+8)

This looks to be a tight match as Serie A 2019 odds would suggest with Torino and AC Milan placed at 2.44 and 2.97 to win respectively, while the odds for a draw are at 3.10 in the 1×2 market.

However, I’ll give the slight edge for Torino in this game due to their strong form at home against Milan. After all, they never lost against them over these past few years.

While AC Milan will try to put up a fight against the home team, they might get overwhelmed with Torino’s defence given their recent struggles on their attack.