The iconic San Siro stadium is poised to host a compelling Serie A encounter as AC Milan, still harboring title aspirations, faces off against Torino, a team currently positioned in the lower half of the standings. This Saturday’s fixture in Lombardy is widely regarded as a crucial, must-win game for the home team.
AC Milan’s pursuit of the Scudetto suffered a significant setback last weekend. While Saturday offered a glimmer of hope as Atalanta drew 1-1 with league leaders Inter, Milan under Massimiliano Allegri couldn’t capitalize on Sunday. A struggling Lazio side managed to secure a tight 1-0 victory over the Rossoneri at the Stadio Olimpico. This outcome leaves Milan eight points behind their city rivals and the dominant league leaders. With just nine matches remaining, time is rapidly running out for them to bridge this gap. Consequently, they cannot afford any slip-ups as they prepare to face 14th-placed Torino, who recently enjoyed a decisive 4-1 home win against Parma.
Despite their recent big win, Torino’s ambitions of achieving a fourth top-half finish in five seasons now appear to be dwindling. Udinese’s 2-0 triumph over Genoa the previous night widened the points difference to six, underscoring the challenge Torino faces in this upcoming match. On a more positive note, the visiting team has successfully distanced themselves from relegation concerns, establishing a secure nine-point advantage over 18th-placed Cremonese.
Match Preview
AC Milan
Milan’s recent loss to Lazio marked their third league defeat of the season, and notably, their first away defeat in the top flight under Allegri’s current spell – a poorly timed result. Following Napoli’s narrow victory against Cagliari yesterday, the reigning champions, now led by Antonio Conte, have overtaken Milan into second place, further complicating their prospects for a top-two finish. Nevertheless, the home side is on the verge of securing a spot in next season’s Champions League, holding a seven-point cushion over fifth-placed Juventus. Despite this, Milan must confront their well-known inconsistency at San Siro, where their last eight league fixtures have yielded mixed results (four wins, three draws, one loss). However, a consecutive defeat seems improbable, as Milan has avoided losing back-to-back matches throughout the entire season, with their last consecutive Serie A losses occurring in March. Furthermore, the Rossoneri boast an impressive unbeaten streak in their last 29 home league encounters against Torino, dating back to 1985 (20 wins, 9 draws), emphasizing their historical superiority in this fixture.
Torino
Having recently achieved their joint-largest win of the season, Torino travels to San Siro hoping to secure back-to-back Serie A victories for the first time since mid-December. However, recent form indicates that consistency has been a challenge for Torino, with their last four league matches alternating between two wins and two defeats. Furthermore, Roberto D’Aversa’s squad has struggled significantly on the road, suffering four losses and one draw in their last five away league games. This poor away record is compounded by a dismal performance against Serie A’s current top four teams in the 2025/26 season (three losses), including a heavy 5-0 defeat at San Siro against Inter. Adding to their concerns, Torino famously let slip a two-goal lead in a disappointing 3-2 home loss in the reverse fixture back in December. D’Aversa urgently needs to resolve his team’s defensive vulnerabilities to prevent a similar outcome, especially since the Granata have conceded two or more goals in ten of their last 13 matches across all competitions.
Team News
While Santiago Gimenez has returned to training, his participation remains doubtful after a four-month absence. AC Milan continues to miss Matteo Gabbia and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but they receive a significant boost with the return of key midfielder Adrien Rabiot from suspension, who is expected to reclaim his starting spot from Ardon Jashari. Conversely, Torino will be without Moroccan winger Zakaria Aboukhlal, who is still nursing a knee injury. Despite this setback, coach D’Aversa has a strong selection of offensive talent available, with Che Adams and Giovanni Simeone anticipated to spearhead the attack.
AC Milan vs Torino Potential Starting Lineups
AC Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.
Torino (3-5-2): Paleari; Coco, Ismajli, Ebosse; Pedersen, Gineitis, Ilkhan, Vlasic, Obrador; Adams, Simeone.
AC Milan vs Torino Prediction
Given Torino’s modest record of only three away league victories this season, Milan is strongly positioned to recover from last weekend’s disappointment and reclaim second place in the Serie A table. Nevertheless, the visitors are expected to offer strong resistance at San Siro. Therefore, our prediction leans towards the home side securing a close win.
Prediction: AC Milan to Win
