Preview:Juventus vs AC Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Two Calcio giants clash in Serie A's Sunday night kickoff, as Juventus play host to AC Milan at Allianz Stadium.

When the teams convene in Turin, Juve will trail Milan - who are now coached by their former manager - by one point in the standings, with both hoping to fight for the title.

Match preview

While there have been some familiar flaws on show this season, Juventus remain unbeaten in Serie A, and their 10-match run without a league defeat stretches all the way back to April.

Last week's 1-1 draw with injury-hit Atalanta BC kept them on the coat-tails of leading trio Napoli, Roma and Milan, with 11 points on the board so far.

Yet, it was a frustrating result against La Dea on home turf, and only a 78th-minute equaliser from Juan Cabal saw Juve share the spoils.

Then, in the Champions League, Igor Tudor's team continued their entertaining start to the league phase on Wednesday night, following up a frantic 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund with a four-goal game in Spain.

Juventus fell behind, then came back to lead 2-1 against Villarreal, but they failed to keep the back door shut, as ex-Juve loanee Renato Veiga hauled the hosts level late on.

Tudor certainly has plenty to work on - not helped by some uneven recruitment at the Turin club in recent years - and his next test comes along this weekend.

Just before Tudor's return, Juventus won their most recent home game against Milan in January - a few days after losing to them in the Supercoppa Italiana - but that is Juve's sole success across the last four meetings.

Having departed with a very public meltdown at the 2024 Coppa Italia final, current Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri now returns to face his old club for the first time since leaving.

Only club legend Giovanni Trapattoni has managed Juve more times than Allegri, who enjoyed great success during his first spell before the second ended in some acrimony.

After a year watching on from afar, he recently returned for a second bite of the cherry at Milan, where his team are putting together a potential Scudetto challenge.

With no European commitments to concern them, the Rossoneri have claimed 12 points so far - three coming from last week's big clash with reigning champions Napoli.

Now arguably their main man, Christian Pulisic scored one and made the other as they triumphed 2-1 at San Siro, despite going down to 10 men before the hour mark.

Their midfield transformed by the silk-and-steel influence of Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot, Milan's fourth straight win also put them top of the table, having previously progressed to the Coppa Italia's last 16.

So, having beaten his old sparring partner Antonio Conte last Sunday, Allegri has another significant scalp in his sights.

Juventus Serie A form:

W W W D D

Juventus form (all competitions):

W W D D D D

AC Milan Serie A form:

L W W W W

AC Milan form (all competitions):

L W W W W W

Team News

As Cabal was forced off by a thigh injury just 15 minutes into Wednesday's Champions League fixture, the Colombian wing-back must join Bremer and Fabio Miretti on the sidelines this weekend.

In much better news for Juventus boss Tudor, Khephren Thuram is back in action; if sufficiently fit, he would replace Weston McKennie in midfield.

The hosts have a three-way battle for selection in attack, as Lois Openda and Jonathan David both vie with Dusan Vlahovic for selection: widely fancied to make an impact in Serie A, David barely featured for his club in September.

Another North American star, Milan forward Pulisic has been far more productive this term, already recording six goal involvements; however, he has yet to find the net against Juve in Italy's top flight.

Santiago Gimenez should join the USA international up front, though Rafael Leao recently returned to fitness and is also a contender.

Fikayo Tomori - who was wanted by Juventus during the summer - is struggling with a thigh strain, while Pervis Estupinan must serve a suspension for his red card against Napoli, so Allegri may have to make more than one defensive change.

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Gatti, Rugani, Kelly; Kalulu, Locatelli, McKennie, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; Vlahovic

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Gimenez

We say: Juventus 0-1 AC Milan

Juventus may have beaten Inter in a recent seven-goal thriller, but - tired from their European adventures in midweek - they are sure to be stifled by Milan's Allegri-ball.

It could be an incredibly close contest, with the Rossoneri's cautious style earning another gritty win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.