Calcio returns with a historic tie in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, when Milan will have to break their taboo against Juventus to reach the Final on June 17.
The first leg ended 1-1 at San Siro back on February 13, but Theo Hernandez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samu Castillejo are all suspended for the Rossoneri.
Calcio returns with a historic tie in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, when Milan will have to break their taboo against Juventus to reach the Final on June 17.
The first leg ended 1-1 at San Siro back on February 13, but Theo Hernandez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samu Castillejo are all suspended for the Rossoneri.
Milan will have to turn around a tough trend against the Old Lady, as the last time the Rossoneri came out on top against Juve in the Coppa Italia was in 1985. Since then, the two Italian giants have met 13 times in total and Juventus have won eight of those games.
It ended in a 1-1 draw at the San Siro and a clean sheet would be enough for the hosts, who are confidently boasting a streak of 10 consecutive wins at home in the Cup.
Maurizio Sarri claimed Milan have been giving them trouble since he took over in Turin, but the 1-1 draw was the turning point after nine consecutive Rossoneri defeats against Juve in all competition.
Their last victory was 1-0 at San Siro in a Serie A fixture in October 2016, as the Italian Super Cup Final was decided on penalties in December 2016.
The Rossoneri have not beaten Juventus in Turin since a 1-0 Serie A result in March 2011, followed by 10 straight Serie A losses. There were two Coppa Italia meetings here in that period, both going to extra time.
The only issue is that Milan rarely turn draws into wins. The last eight times Milan have drawn at home in a semi-final, they have been eliminated in five of them.
Having said that, the result was already an anomaly, as Juventus hadn't drawn a Coppa Italia first leg since 1993 and if Milan stop Cristiano Ronaldo, it could mean they stop Juventus.
The Portuguese superstar has been efficient against the Diavolo with three goals in four games since his move to Italy and could set a personal record against Pioli’s men.
Paulo Dybala is even more of a nightmare for Milan, scoring six times against them in the Juventus shirt and eight throughout his career. They are his third favourite victims behind Udinese (9) and Lazio (11).
On the other hand, it will be exciting to see how Ante Rebic fares without Ibrahimovic on the pitch, as the Croat started to find his feet after the 38-year-old returned to Milanello.
Rebic didn’t score until 2020, but when he combined with Zlatan, he ended up bagging eight times before the break, claiming 40 per cent of the 20 goals scored by the whole team during that period.
Milan will have to break their taboo against Juventus and the home side must prepare to fight for a place in the Final, as Sarri aims to prove all the doubters wrong and take the new Bianconeri all the way in every competition.