AC Milan may have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League midweek, but not all is lost for the Rossoneri, as with only eight games left to play in the Serie A this season, Milan hold a two-point advantage over closest rivals Juventus and are poised to win back-to-back league championships.
But while Juventus appear to be in the best form of their entire season, which has seen them remain unbeaten through 30 games, Milan seem to have entered somewhat of a slump, as they have failed to win in their last three games in all competitions, including a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona which led to their imminent Champions League elimination.
But although their elimination was a major blow for the club, perhaps the only bright spot that came out of it is that it could possibly improve their chances of winning the Italian Serie A, as rather than competing on two fronts, which can be very difficult due to certain factors like fatigue and injuries, they can focus all of their attention on their domestic campaign.
On Saturday Milan will be hoping to rebound from their frustrating 1-1 draw with Catania last weekend, with a much-needed victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro stadium. Milan are more than aware of the fact that they can’t afford to drop any points against the Viola, as a negative result could see Juventus overtake them at the league summit.
Juventus, who ousted Milan for a place in the Coppa Italia final in late March, travel to Sicily to take on a depleted Palermo and are highly favoured to return to Turin with the three points. Juve come into the game with three league wins on the trot, where they scored a staggering 10 goals and conceded zero.
However, as Juve boss Antonio Conte pointed out in a recent press conference, Milan have a significantly easier league run-in than the Bianconeri, as they face not a single side in the top six in their final eight league fixtures. Juve, on the other hand, will have to battle with three of them.
Perhaps the only factor which plays against Milan's chances of obtaining the silverware is the fact that coach Massimiliano Allegri will have to continue to deal with an extensive list of injury concerns, with no less than seven players having to sit out the Fiorentina clash due to a variety of different injuries.
But against Fiorentina there can’t be any excuses, as Milan know that if they drop any points, a hungry Juventus will be there to pounce on it.
