Milan must beat Juventus to stay in the mix for European football next season, according to head coach Vincenzo Montella.
Hopes of claiming a first Serie A title since 2011 have long since evaporated for Milan, with Juve 17 points beyond Montella’s men, while the European spots are proving difficult enough to break into.
To that end, losing tonight’s clash in Turin would leave the Rossoneri vulnerable to being cut adrift in seventh place, as rivals Inter are also targeting the nearest Europa League berth.
Montella therefore wants Milan to follow up their 1-0 October triumph over Juve by doing the double – a feat that would lift them above Inter well before the Nerazzurri host fifth-placed Atalanta on Sunday.
He told acmilan.com: “It’s going to be a really hard match and we will need the right mentality and approach. Juve know how to win, but we’ve already beaten them this season.
“The game is worth three points and winning would give us a great lift in the race for Europe.
“It’s going to be a battle – we want to win it.
“This is a crucial moment of the season: one point more or less or one position doesn’t make much difference, it’s the attitude that matters.”
Suso’s place in the team is in doubt as the flying Spanish winger sustained a thigh injury during Saturday’s win against Chievo.
Manuel Locatelli – the goalscorer in the reverse fixture – is suffering from a cold while Riccardo Montolivo and Giacomo Bonaventura have long been on the treatment table.
In the Juve camp, boss Massimiliano Allegri has said defensive stalwart Giorgio Chiellini will not play.
Either Medhi Benatia, Daniele Rugani or Andrea Barzagli will partner Leonardo Bonucci at the back.
Allegri is keeping one eye on next week’s Champions League tie against Porto but, because this league fixture is on a Friday, he need not worry too much about fatigue.
Speaking ahead of the Juventus Stadium showdown, he sounded a note of caution, telling the official website: “We’ve an eight-point advantage over Roma, but the title race is still open and we need to make sure of picking up all three points tomorrow.
“We can expect a tough match against a Milan team who are coming off the back of two positive results.
“They’re quick, technically strong and, at the end of the day, Juventus vs Milan is still a very big game in Italian football, despite the number of points currently separating us in the table.”
Programme
Today: 20.45 Juventus vs Milan.
Tomorrow: 20.45 Genoa vs Sampdoria.
Sunday: 12.30 Sassuolo vs Bologna; 15.00 Chievo vs Empoli; Fiorentina vs Cagliari; Inter vs Atalanta; Pescara vs Udinese; Napoli vs Crotone. 20.45 Palermo vs Roma.
Monday: 20.45 Lazio vs Torino.