Torino-Milan Preview: Bullseye

In the not so distant past, Torino would have been a team we would have been wary of, but could travel there with some confidence. But not this time. This time, Torino sit in fifth place, while Milan’s slide down the table currently has us in 11th place. With injury woes and a recurring mentality issue that no one seems to be able to fix, this game is likely to be more than just taking a couple of arrows, it will more likely be a bullseye.

This one's gonna hurt

Ventura has his team in good shape, despite their recent shock defeat to Carpi and a rash of injuries of his own. For the fateful Carpi match, he lined up Padelli; Bovo, Moretti, Glik; Zappacosta, Gazzi, Benassi, Vives, Silva; Maxi Lopez (of Milan Hotelgate fame), and Quagliarella. He will be missing Farnerud, Maksimovic, Peres, Jansson, and Obi to injury, with Avelar, Benassi, and Ichazo still in doubt. Baselli made a rather magical recovery this week and is back in training and expected to start. Padelli gave up his second own goal of the season against Carpi, the only Serie A keeper to do that so far. So expect him to have the game of his life against us.

Milan have a bit of luck in that Abate returned to training this week and should be available. It’s possible that Mexes may also be available. However, as of this writing, Balotelli still trained apart from the squad and is not expected to be available. And, of course Menez and Niang are still out with their longterm injuries. There is a rumor that Mihajlovic could try a new formation, one that might suit former Torino star Cerci a little better. But don't hold your breath. About Cerci, I mean. He'll be too busy pulling up his shorts.

After surviving Hotelgate and 6 months at Milan, you should be prepared for some Lopez on Lopez action

So we’re going away, facing a team that is in much better form and a much better spot on the table. With no strike partnership yet and still haunted by the “ghosts of the past.” I am always up for being pleasantly surprised with a result, or even better a good performance. But something tells me that this one will be more like being kicked when we are down. Or being the actual target when i Tori make a bullseye right through my heart.

This post inspired by the music of Bauhaus

Torino vs. Milan

Saturday, October 17 • 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)

This match will be shown LIVE on RAI in the US