In the race for a Champions League spot this season, this match becomes incredibly significant. Milan come into this weekend in second place, but only on goal differential over Napoli, while Juventus have that fourth spot, but are only three points behind Milan. Yet in such a consequential match, one cannot help but do a double take. Allegri, Rabiot, and De Winter are all on Milan's side after their long histories with the Bianconeri, whilst Kalulu and of course, Locatelli are wearing the criminal black and white stripes, having both played for Milan. With an already intense rivalry, this one will have fans doing double takes and looking to the past as they attempt to qualify for a top four spot. Both sides will be looking back to the future.
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| Will Juve's past determine Milan's future? |
The Old Lady is currently being managed by Luciano Spalletti, and his side come into this match with just one more loss than Milan, but an otherwise identical record. That includes the goalless draw in October between the two clubs that saw Pulisic actually miss his first penalty ever for Milan (missed, not saved.) But Juve are coming off of a seven match unbeaten run, including a solid 2-0 win over Bologna last weekend, so should have plenty of confidence going into this one. For that match, Spalletti lined up a 3-4-2-1 featuring: Di Gregorio; our own former Kalulu, Bremer, Lloyd Kelly; Holm, former Milan player and Juve mole Locatelli, McKennie, Cambiaso; Francesco Conceição, Boga; and Jonathan David. Spalletti will be missing Cabal and Milik to injury, and while there was speculation as to the fitness of Yildiz, latest rumors are that he could actually start.
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| Even Spalletti, doing well with Juve, wonders why they would leave Milan for such a despicable club. |
For the second week in a row, Allegri has zero players injured. You read that right, Milan have no injuries. It's like some kind of an April miracle, but a welcome one. Although there is one fitness concern, and it is at one of our weakest spots. Bartesaghi has apparently struggled with some pain in training this week, and is at risk, meaning that Estupiñan could start in his place. There has not been a match this season that I have not missed Theo Hernández, but in a match as crucial as this one, the idea of 90 minutes of Estupiñan (even after his Derby heroics,) I miss Theo with all my heart.
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| Juve's star youth player had a change of heart. |
While I think Milan had hoped that inducting one of their three voted midfielders, Ruud Gullit, into their fake Hall of Fame and giving him a sponsored, engraved Tiffany plate ahead of the match on Sunday, something far more compelling has caught the focus of the fans and media in the past day or two. Many are already calling it Calciopoli 2.0, which is curious because this year marks the 20th anniversary of that horrible scandal.
So far, we know that there was an investigation last year into Referee Designator Rocchi for at least three matches, including two where he consulted with "several individuals at the San Siro stadium for the visiting side, Inter" with regards to assigning referees to matches that would favor them (and Inter still lost.) That investigation mysteriously went away, but was opened back up after a complaint from a former member of the AIA (Italian Referee Association.)
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| Kalulu still treated like a Milan player even at Juve. |
Given the horrific and nonstop string of referee debacles this season in which errors were admitted to by the AIA in at least 30 matches in 32 matchdays, this comes as a shock to no one. However, Rocchi, despite claiming his innocence, has suspended himself while the investigation happens. There are plenty of questions about Inter, who think they are on track to "win" the Scudetto again this season, but their luck matchfixing may have just run out.
Given the lack of justice in Italy and the absurd amount of political power Marotta wields, though, my money is on Inter getting away without punishment. Again. After no consequences for financial matchfixing. And making their phantom sponsor scandal quietly disappear (the FIGC were implicated in that one, too.) Or having the prosecution in the Double Curva investigation write things like, "Inter has adopted a 'duplicity of attitude' (one internally oriented, where organizational rules are ignored, and the other externally oriented, where the saame rules are formally deserved,)" and suggesting that mafia infiltration is inevitable due to this careless attitude, meanwhile slandering and punishing Milan's Ultras for the crimes of their own. And the list goes on and on.
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| Let's hope past mistakes do not haunt Milan's future. |
Fans of both clubs will no doubt be distracted by this massive story, given the results of the "investigation" twenty years ago. However, Sunday night, only one match will matter, and it should be a tough one, especially for Milan. The San Siro will be an advantage, albeit somewhat sanitized as a result of that Double Curva investigation and the Club trying to silence its own Ultras. But the biggest factors may lie in the past – with a former manager and ex players who will no doubt be looking to remind their former club what they are missing. And it is to those people Milan will look to most when trying to secure our future in the Champions League. No matter the result, there will undoubtedly be some looking back to the future.
Reviewed by Elaine
on
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