Let’s
face it. We
beat them in the league in October. We
beat them to win the Supercoppa in December. But what are the odds that
we would beat them in their house on Wednesday? I mean our form is dipping,
theirs is surging. For us, going out of the Coppa at the quarterfinals is a
little sad, but not really shameful, especially considering our opponent.
Whereas for Juventus, going out now would be more shameful than their new logo.
And that’s shameful. Especially to a team that now sits in seventh on the
table. So this preview isn’t about winning so much as it is about the letter J.
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| "That not letter J! That not even cookie! That messed up!" |
Just when you thought that there
was nothing Juve couldn’t win at, they spent a year and €200.000 to develop a
new logo. A logo that is as much fail as the team is win, on the pitch at
least. A logo which is certain to provide endless fodder for fans and
opposition fans alike. I mean a whole year? Has not winning in the Champions
League damaged their brains? And €200.000? I am in the wrong business. Juve
just got scammed.
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| J is for jaguar, jay, jackrabbit, and jackal... but what is that green thing? |
Juve also beat Lazio on Sunday to
bounce back from their loss to Fiorentina the week before. And that win was no
scam. For their win over Lazio yesterday, Allegri lined up Buffon; Chiellini,
Bonucci, Asamoah, Lichsteiner, Dybala, Pjanic, Khedira, Higuain, Mandzukic, and
Cuadrado. As of this writing, it looks like he will miss Marchisio, Lemina, and
possibly Mattiello, to injury, as well as Benatia to the African Cup of
Nations. But seriously, their bench is still better than most of our starting
lineup.
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| Rumor has it that Juve spent even more cash developing these new away kits for next year |
Judge Montella not for the
injuries, he has managed the health and fitness very well this season. But Mati
Fernandez inhaled some air or something and apparently injured himself again.
De Sciglio has a minor injury and could miss again, and Montolivo’s pride is
still injured. Niang was on the bench on Saturday, but had been suffering from
the flu once more. I would guess he would do everything try to make himself
available, though. The Coppa is where he scored his first goal for Milan. Speaking
of available, Deulofeu is in Milan to take a medical and hopefully sign today.
So there is a chance he makes the squad, too. Although with a lack of playing
time, he may not be fit. But at least Romagnoli and Locatelli will be back.
That is massive for us.
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| Milan have something that starts with the letter J, too... our Jack in the Box |
Justice will likely be served this
time around. As I mentioned in the
last podcast, third time’s a charm… for Juventus. This is our third
time playing them this season, and it’s difficult to imagine a world where we
sweep them three straight times. But then again, it is also difficult to
imagine a world where a team with such a rich history of winning would dump
their crest with all of its culture, history, and tradition for a €200.000 joke
of a logo that’s meant to sell more crap or whatever. I have no idea what any
of that has to do with football or winning, but I suppose that if that logo is
real, then anything is possible. Even another Milan win. Anything is possible. But
win or lose, I’m pretty sure that on Wednesday, I’ll still be laughing. Because
the letter J.
This post brought to
you by the letter J
Coppa Italia
Quarterfinals
Juventus vs. AC Milan
Wednesday, January
25 • 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)
This match will only
be shown on Gol TV in the U.S.