Juventus take on AC Milan in the return match of their Copa Italia semifinal this midweek. The two sides settled for a draw in the opening leg when Ante Rebic gave Milan an advantage that they squandered as Cristian Ronaldo equalised later in the match. Juventus are currently second in the Italian Serie A, where just two points separate them from leaders Lazio, who have played one more match. Meanwhile, AC Milan are seventh in the league standings, where they sit twenty four points behind the Old Lady.
Juventus were meant to play fellow heavy weights Inter Milan last weekend but the match was rescheduled amidst Coronavirus concerns. This postponement therefore gives Juventus ample rest time ahead of the cup game as they recover from a 1-0 loss to Lyon in the Champions League round of sixteen.
This was the second loss for Juventus in five matches across all competitions and the third time in a similar number of matches that the team had failed to win.
Visitors Milan also had their match against Genoa postponed for Coronavirus concerns and they will be travelling for the game after a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina, where Rebic's strike was neutralized by an Erick Pulgar equalizer. This was AC Milan's third match without a loss as their previous two encounters ended with one draw and one win.
After the first leg draw, there will be more urgency in this match and we see both teams vigorously campaigning for an outright win, to spare them the pain of driving the match into more tie-breakers. However, we see Juventus having the upper hand and leaving the clash with a victory.