The Battle Up North

There was a time, presumably pre-Bosman, when the Juventus-AC Milan derby would have showcased many of the best domestic names in Italian football. And while it still does to a smaller extent, it certainly doesn’t bear watching for the purposes of scouting Italian talent for the casual fan.
That’s not to say its not great football. To the contrary. Its mouth-watering football. But its full of Czechs and Brazilians and the occasional brilliant Ukranian. And its still one of the biggest fixtures on the schedule, so I have to chime in.

AC Milan:
- demolished Bayern Munich earlier in the week
- five straight league wins
- Inzaghi playing like a fiend
- can’t afford to drop points or could be passed by hated rivals Inter

Juventus:
- looked sketchy in the last few league matches
- only scraped by Werder Bremen on a blunder for the ages by Bremen keeper
- a win would crush the last remaining contender without any doubt for the league title
- key Left Back position a problem with Zambrotta out

All signs point to an AC Milan victory… but it’s the Delle Alpi, which is a brutal place to walk away with a win. I suppose the easy way out would be to choose a draw (insert sounds of chicken clucking here)… so I’ll say AC Milan 2, Juventus 1. Inzaghi scores a goal to cause Marcello Lippi even more anxiety, and the cigarette industry rejoices.