After a break for the holidays, Serie A has returned to action. The first game of the 2016 year turned out to be a derby meeting between Sampdoria and Genoa, with the former taking all three points in an entertaining Derby della Lanterna earlier today, and tomorrow will be full of plenty of games as Juventus and AC Milan take on Hellas Verona and Bologna respectively hoping to start off the second half of the season on the right foot.
AC Milan
Despite currently sitting in sixth place, the pressure has not abated on Sinisa Mihajlovic, whom has been repeatedly criticized by the always vocal Silvio Berlusconi in public, who expects Milan to be among the top-ranked sides at the end of this season. After powering past Frosinone 4-2 in their final match of 2015, the Rossoneri will be eager to show that the Christmas break did them some good with earning all three points in their opening game of the new year. Yet, following two bad showings against bottom feeders Verona and Carpi - which saw them drop four valuable points in the process - they will be really keen on commencing proceedings favorably as they welcome familiar opponents Bologna tomorrow.
The most recent meeting between the Diavolo and the Rossoblu finished as a 1-0 win; in fact, Milan have yet to lose to their visitors in their past 11 meetings, with seven wins and four draws. Additionally, the Rossoneri traditionally have fared well in their first game of the new year, having won five out of their last six except for a loss to Sassuolo back in January 2015. All in all, the hosts have only lost one out of their past ten matches and are unbeaten in their past four, but will be seeking to make sure they earn maximum points against Bologna to keep within touching distance of fifth-placed Roma.
In terms of personnel, Mihajlovic will still be without the services of Mario Balotelli, with the Italian international yet to fully recover from groin surgery as well as Jeremy Menez, who has spent quite a bit of time away from the pitch due to a back problem. There will be a familiar face returning to the fold, with former midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng having being signed on a six-month deal after terminating his contract with Schalke, but the Ghanaian international is not guaranteed to start from the beginning despite having trained with the squad as of late. The only other notable absence will be Alessio Romagnoli due to a ban.
Bologna
It will be a special match indeed for Bologna coach Roberto Donadoni, who is a well-known figure around San Siro due to his impressive tenure as a Rossoneri player, with six Scudetti and three Champions League titles during two spells with the club. Since assuming his current position, the ex-midfielder has helped to right the ship somewhat, including an impressive 3-2 defeat of Napoli, but they still are not out of the danger zone yet.
With 19 points, the visitors are only five away from 18th placed Frosinone, and to make things more difficult, Bologna do not have a good track record when it comes to facing Milan. As noted previously, they have failed to beat their opponents in prior last 11 meetings, with their last win taking place on August 31, 2008, when they defeated them 2-1.
Both sides will have their own individual reasons for trying to win this match. For Bologna, after a poor start, each and every single point will make the difference between survival and relegation. And for Milan, after two seasons without European football, their ever-demanding owner Silvio Berlusconi will accept nothing less than a return to continental action in the 2016/2017 season, meaning that Mihajlovic will have his work cut out for him to make that dream a reality.
Will either of these two sides start 2016 off with a win? You will have to tune in to find out.
Which channel is broadcasting Milan vs Bologna on TV or Online?
If you are not in Italy's fashion capital to view Milan vs Bologna live at the San Siro, don't worry. LiveSoccerTV has you covered with options to watch the action from home or on the road via TV, computer, mobile, or tablet. Here are some selections for fans living in these locations:
- In the USA at 9.00 EST: beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A.
- In Italy at 15.00 CET: Premium Calcio 2, Sky Calcio 2, SKY Go Italia
Live outside these countries? Visit our special Milan vs Bologna match page for viewing times and options.
It's going to be a busy Wednesday for Serie A aficionados, with several other games taking place at the exact same time as the aforementioned clash between the Rossoneri and the Rossoblu. One of these matches will be Juventus vs Hellas Verona, two teams that have endured contrasting fortunes in the first half of the current Serie A season.
Juventus
Given their recent resurgence, it's shocking to believe that Juventus were actually closer to the relegation zone than the summit earlier this season. But, indeed, a look at those dark days will show that things were simply nightmarish for Massimiliano Allegri's men, who were struggling to find their form after seeing some major personnel changes this summer.
Due to their early struggles, there were some who were eager to write Juve off and they have been forced indeed to eat crow as not only have the Bianconeri won their last seven matches but also now have closed the gap on league leaders Inter to just three points. Should they manage to defeat bottom-placed Hellas Verona tomorrow, la Vecchia Signora will actually jump into first - provided that Fiorentina lose - and of course, temporarily until the Nerazzurri take on Empoli.
Key to the team's uptick in form has been the impressive form of some of their new signings, namely Paulo Dybala, who has racked up eight goals so far in his debut season since arriving from Palermo last summer. His consistently solid showings have made quite the difference for the team, and others like fellow new arrivals Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira, as well as newly minted no. 10 Paul Pogba have also improved considerably over the past few months to help Juve quickly turn their fortunes around from struggling to crack the top ten to being well in contention to make it a fifth straight Scudetto this May.
With the exception of Kwadwo Asamoah - whose bad luck with injuries unfortunately continues - and Roberto Pereyra, Allegri will have all his key players available for selection, which does not bode well for their opponents, who had endured a miserable 2015/2016 season so far.
Hellas Verona
Unfortunately, the Gialloblu are still rooted at the bottom of the league table and their misery does not look like it's about to stop any time soon. Verona are the only side yet to win a league game this season, with eight draws and nine losses. However, the visitors did manage to halt a three match losing streak by posting two back-to-back draws in their final two games of last year and despite the odds stacked against them, will be hoping to frustrate la Vecchia Signora as the two sides meet tomorrow in Turin.
Will Juventus make it eight wins in eight? Or will Verona snap their own bad streak by spoiling Juve's plans?
Which channel is broadcasting Juventus vs Hellas Verona on TV or Online?
In Turin this time of year? Then you may be heading to Juventus Stadium to watch the Bianconeri take on struggling Hellas Verona in their first match of 2016. If not, LiveSoccerTV has plenty of choices to catch this mid-week fixture via phone, computer, TV or tablet for calcio fans living in the following countries:
- In the USA at 9.00 EST on: fuboTV, beIN Sports en Español, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A.
- In Italy at 15.00 CET on: SKY Go Italia, Sky Sport 1 HD Italia, Premium Calcio, Sky Calcio 1
- In the UK at 14.00 GMT on: BT Sport Live Streaming, BT Sport Europe
- In Canada at 9.00 ET on: beIN Sports en Español, beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada
For those who live elsewhere, visit our special Juventus vs Hellas Verona broadcast page for specific viewng times and options for your location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
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