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Milan vs Juventus Preview

Gregory Sica, February 7 2012,
AC Milan will be hoping to put an abrupt end to Juventus' impressive unbeaten run when the fierce rivals clash in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday.
Expect an action-packed Coppa Italia semi-final
Expect an action-packed Coppa Italia semi-final
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Italy's two most in-form clubs face-off in what is expected to be a highly entertaining Coppa Italia semi-final clash at the San Siro stadium on Wednesday.

AC Milan, the reigning Italian champions, will strive to inflict a first defeat of the season upon a high-flying Juventus outfit who appear to be on their way to returning to the elite of Italian soccer.

The fact that both teams have been neck-and-neck throughout great part of the Serie A this season, adds extra spice to the Coppa Italia encounter, because it will provide both sides with the opportunity to prove their supremacy.

Milan, who have struggled to find their usual consistency in recent outings, are well aware of the fact that they will have to be at their very best to obtain a positive result against Juventus.

What boosts Milan's chances of beating the Bianconeri is that they boast the most effective attack in the Serie A this season, after having scored a staggering 43 goals. Juventus may not have the best attack, however, they have the best defence, having conceded a mere 13 goals this season.

While both teams could cancel each other out, Milan will be desperate to take full advantage of their home advantage ahead of the return leg, because they know that Juventus are extremely hard nuts to crack when playing on their own turf.

Juventus, who still remain unbeaten in all competitions this season, come into this stage of the Coppa Italia after having swept away both Bologna and Roma.

Coming into the clash, Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri continues to have a selection nightmare, as the likes of Alexandre Pato, Kevin-Prince-Boateng, Alberto Aquilani and Mathieu Flamini continue to be sidelined due to a variety of different injuries.

Meanwhile, Antonio Conte, the coach of Juventus, will be delighted by the fact that he will be able to field a full-strength squad. If there is one player who will be in for a memorable game it would have to be Andrea Pirlo. The 32-year-old dead-ball specialist made 377 appearances for the Rossoneri over a ten-year period before joining Juventus last season.

La Vecchia Signora have already beaten Milan this season, when in early October Claudio Marchisio scored two late goals for a 2-0 win at the Juventus stadium.

If statistics are any indication, the clash is unlikely to end in a draw, as the last time a game between the rivals ended all square was when they fought out a 1-1 stalemate in May of 2009.

Do you think Milan will put an end to Juve's unbeaten run?

Prediction:

Milan 2-1 Juventus

Milan vs Juventus

Date: Wednesday, 8 Feb 2012
Time: 14:45 ( US/Eastern )
Competition: Coppa Italia
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Milano)

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