Torino-Milan Preview: Déjà Vu

It seems like just the other day that we were facing off against Torino. Oh, wait... it was just the other day. But that was in the Coppa Italia, and that was in our house. On Monday, we go to their house and play for three points in the league. So... same but different. It will be another tough battle, and Torino will want revenge after we knocked them out of the Coppa on Thursday. But in many ways, it will seem like déjà vu.

"Winner, winner, chicken dinner"

It’s hard to know if Mihajlovic will get a reaction out of his squad or not. He indicated that they made all of their mistakes on Thursday, and they won’t make the same mistakes twice. But their mentality is not as strong right now as Milan’s, even if their talent level is maybe comparable. It’s gotta be tough for Mihajlovic to watch the fruits of his labor defeat the future fruits of his labor, and in both cases, he likely won’t be the one to bear that fruit. He’s the one who lays the foundation while others get all of the credit.

In our match, Mihajlovic lined up Hart; De Silvestri, Rossettini, Moretti, Barreca; Benassi, Valdifiori, Baselli; Iturbe, Belotti, and Ljajic. I will be curious to see Joe Hart’s face. Not his facial expressions, but rather what it looks like after Lapadula tried to rearrange it with his cleats. Vives and Molinaro will still be out injured, and Acquah is still at the African Cup of Nations tournament. But it looks like Falque and Castan are expected to return to the squad.

That joke isn't funny anymore

For Milan, Montella will still be missing Montolivo. As of this writing, it sounds like neither Romagnoli nor Mati Fernandez will be available, but Antonelli is likely to return. With the confidence of having beaten this same team just a few days prior, but with the fatigue of having just played this same team just a few days prior, they will also need to play even better to get the three points.

Deja vu indeed

The stadium will be different, the kits should be different, and the lineups should be slightly different, too. The big question is: will they play different? If both teams play better, it should be an even more intense match. And no one is guaranteed the three points. Joe Hart is unlikely to still be laughing at his injury anymore, and may play the game of his life just to save face. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) But Donnarumma makes saves on Belotti before breakfast. So Milan are probably thinking “Winner, winner, chicken dinner.” (Sorry, it’s really been a long week.) More than likely, it will be another tough match. And with a bit of luck, hopefully the result is also déjà vu.

This post inspired by the music of Dwayne Johnson’s “You’re Welcome” (from the Moana Soundtrack)

Torino vs. Milan

Monday, January 16 • 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)

This match will be shown on RAI and BeIN Sports in the U.S.