The clash between Milan and Juventus stands as the marquee fixture of the weekend in Italy, perhaps even across Europe’s elite leagues. For one side, it’s a chance to bridge the gap to second place; for the other, to secure the third spot. Crucially, it’s an opportunity to significantly bolster their prospects for a top-four finish, especially as Como and Roma both secured victories this round and are closing in on them in the standings.
In reality, this was a contest where tuning in from around the 30-minute mark – if at all – would have sufficed. Very little transpired before then. Admittedly, there were two instances where Locatelli could have easily seen yellow. It’s surprising the referee let him off the hook the second time, following a clumsy knee-high tackle on Rabiot by the Juventus player. Yet, the official later brandished a yellow card to Cambiaso for a less dangerous infraction.
The first genuinely promising goal-scoring opportunity materialized in the 35th minute. Rabiot unleashed a powerful strike from just outside the box, but it flew directly at Juventus goalkeeper Di Gregorio. Barely a minute later,こちらは Théo Hernández put the ball in the net. However, the celebration was short-lived as VAR subsequently disallowed the goal for offside.
In that nullified goal, as well as other attacking plays, it was Conceição who sparked danger around the Milan goal. He frequently took matters into his own hands in the absence of Juventus’ main talisman, Yildiz – the Turkish player isn’t yet fit enough to play the full match and started on the bench. Bartesaghi endured the most difficult time on the pitch. Towards the end of the half, Conceição glided past him with ease and fired a shot from a tight angle straight into Maignan’s chest. Then, in the 45+1st minute, the Portuguese tried his luck from an excellent position inside the box, striking the ball between the legs of the very same Bartesaghi, though placed conveniently enough for Maignan to make the save.
The second half commenced with another shot on target from Conceição, but these were largely half-chances. Milan, however, squandered a golden opportunity in the 50th minute—arguably the best of the entire match. A swift home team counter-attack concluded with Leão laying the ball off for Saelemaekers. The Belgian blasted a thunderous shot against the very base of the crossbar, from where the ball ricocheted out toward the far corner of the box.
While Juventus held the upper hand in terms of activity during the first half, the hosts dominated the attacking play after the interval. This included Fofana sending a shot over the bar from a promising area. Nevertheless, the visitors managed to level the play somewhat in the middle of the second half, only for the action to be halted for nearly five minutes in the 76th minute.
Locatelli and Modrić collided heads with such force that the Croatian was left with a significant bruise near his eye and required an immediate substitution. During this pause, Yildiz entered the fray. Shortly thereafter, Vlahović also came on, marking his first 11 minutes in Serie A in the year 2026.
Ultimately, neither side managed to find the back of the net, which feels rather predictable for a match involving Allegri’s squad. Juventus now enjoys a three-point cushion over Como and Roma.
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