Resurgent Milan can beat Juve, says Bonaventura
MILAN: Midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura said AC Milan are primed and ready to finally taste victory over Juventus when the sides meet in an enticing San Siro clash today.
Eight games into the season Juventus look to be on their way to a record sixth consecutive Serie A crown after opening up significant gaps on key title rivals Napoli and Roma.
Roma, at home to Palermo tomorrow, are second at five points adrift while Napoli travel to rock-bottom Crotone looking to end a two-game run of defeats in the league that has left them seven points off the pace.
Milan’s surprising purple patch of late saw the Rossoneri hand Chievo their first home reverse of the season on Monday in a 3-1 win that moved Bayern Munich striker
PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. them up joint second.
Bonaventura credits new coach Vincenzo Montella with helping to “end the chaos” that has reigned over the seven-time European champions in recent seasons.
And the Italy international believes the time is right to throw a spanner into Juve’s title plans.
“We can win it because it’s a standalone match, we’re at home and they will have to be fully at 100 per cent against us,” Bonaventura told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“And, our game is on a par with the top teams in the league.”
Milan’s last win over the Turin giants came in the 2012-2013 season, when current Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was still at the helm after leading them to the 2011 title.
Juventus have won all seven
celebrates after the scoring in their Champions League match against league meetings since, as Milan bounced from one mini-crisis to another.
Montella is the club’s fifth coach since Allegri was sacked following a 4-3 defeat to Sassuolo in 2014, and Bonaventura says the ex-Fiorentina handler has brought “joy” back to the club.
“We’ve endured a few underwhelming seasons but Montella has brought back the joy of playing football,” Bonaventura added.
“He’s helped us in terms of our mentality, but 80 per cent of the really important work has been done on the pitch.”
Montella is expected to deploy his preferred 4-3-3 formation with M’Baye Niang and Suso flanking Colombian striker Carlos Bacca up front.
Bacca has been in solid form, even coming off the bench in the 88th minute at Chievo to force a last-gasp own goal.
With six goals to his name and stats which show Bacca scores with every second shot, Juventus ‘keeper Gianluigi Buffon expects a tough workout.
“If you believe the numbers then he’ll score, because last year he hit a shot and I saved it,” said Buffon.
“I hope we manage to stop him before then, but he has a scorer’s instinct, he always knows where to shoot.”
TODAY:
TOMORROW:
AFP