Juventus vs AC Milan: Serie A's First Major Test

The pleasantries are over. Serie A’s first true heavyweight clash of the new campaign lands in Turin on Sunday night, where Juventus host AC Milan at Allianz Stadium with both sides unbeaten and already chasing.

Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. local time in Turin, 7:45 p.m. in the United Kingdom, and 2:45 p.m. Eastern / 11:45 a.m. Pacific in the United States.

For early September, the stakes are surprisingly sharp. Win, and you stay within touching distance of Roma and Inter Milan at the top. Lose, and a gap opens behind two leaders who have already banked an extra game.

Where to Watch

The broadcast map underlines the size of the occasion.

In the United States, the match streams on Paramount+, with Telemundo and Fubo also carrying feeds. Viewers in the United Kingdom can tune in on TNT Sports 1, while DAZN and HBO Max will provide streaming options. In Italy, the game runs exclusively on DAZN 1 (Sky channel 214) and the DAZN app, bypassing Sky and NOW.

No excuses. If you want to see it, it’s there.

Two Perfect Starts, Two Different Identities

Juventus arrive with a clean sheet of a different kind: two wins, zero goals conceded. A 1-0 grind at Frosinone, then a more controlled 2-0 victory over Parma in Turin. Luciano Spalletti has leaned on structure and discipline, and so far, it has held.

Milan have matched the points, but not the style. Under new coach Ruben Amorim, they’ve been more open, more expressive. A 2-1 win away at Torino, then a 2-0 home success against Venezia, according to Goal.com. Four goals scored, a little more risk, a little more edge.

Both clubs sit on six points. Milan are fourth on goal difference, Juventus fifth. Above them, Roma and Inter lead the way with nine points from three matches, while Como lurks in third with seven. The table is young, but patterns are already forming.

Sunday will say something about which project is accelerating, and which still needs time.

Lineups and Tactical Battle

Spalletti’s Juventus are expected to stick with a 4-2-3-1, built around a solid spine and quick wide threats.

Juventus (4-2-3-1)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario
DEF: Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, Jhon Lucumí, Mehmet Zeki Çelik
MID: Manuel Locatelli, Douglas Luiz
ATT MID: Francisco Conceição, Nicolás González, Jérémie Boga
ST: Randal Kolo Muani

It’s a side designed to protect the middle and spring forward. Locatelli and Douglas Luiz anchor the midfield, while Boga, González and Conceição give Kolo Muani the support and service he thrives on.

Amorim’s Milan, by contrast, travel with a 3-4-2-1 that leans on mobility and combinations between the lines.

Milan (3-4-2-1)
GK: Mike Maignan
DEF: Mario Gila, Koni De Winter, Strahinja Pavlović
MID: Samuel Chukwueze, Luka Modrić, Yunus Musah, Davide Bartesaghi
ATT MID: Adrien Rabiot, Alexis Saelemaekers
ST: Gonçalo Ramos

The back three has been tweaked by necessity, but the midfield is heavy with experience and energy. Modrić and Rabiot give Amorim an authoritative core, Musah adds legs and bite, and Chukwueze and Saelemaekers offer width and invention around Ramos.

On paper, it’s a clash between a Juventus side that refuses to give much away and a Milan team that prefers to ask questions.

Injuries and Absences: One Squad Stretched, One Adjusting

This week hit Juventus hard. Spalletti’s roster has been trimmed by injuries, with Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie among seven players ruled out, a group that also includes Khephren Thuram and Andrea Cambiaso, according to Yahoo Sports. The absences strip away rotation options and squeeze his flexibility, especially in midfield and the wide areas.

Milan’s problems are lighter but still significant. Defender Matteo Gabbia is sidelined by a physical setback, forcing Koni De Winter into the back three alongside Mario Gila and Strahinja Pavlović. The reshuffle could be tested early by Kolo Muani’s movement and Juventus’ wide runners.

The upside for Amorim is in the middle of the pitch. Luka Modrić and Adrien Rabiot both return to the starting XI, handing Milan an experienced, technically secure spine for a match that will likely be decided in tight spaces and small margins.

Different Paths Back to the Top

Neither Juventus nor Milan reached the Champions League last season. That absence looms over this fixture.

This is more than just a marquee game in week three. It’s an early marker of who is ready to rejoin Europe’s elite and who might be staring at another year of frustration.

Juventus have built their early momentum on defensive control, conceding nothing in two matches. Milan have leaned on attacking fluency, scoring four in the same span. One approach will bend on Sunday. It might even break.

The Pulisic Question

For American fans, the obvious question hangs over the Milan bench: will Christian Pulisic play?

The answer, for now, is: not from the start. The U.S. international has recovered from the leg injury that kept him out during the United States’ World Cup exit to Belgium in July, but he has yet to reclaim a regular role. He spent the entire win over Venezia on the bench, according to World Soccer Talk.

Amorim addressed his situation after that match, stressing management of workloads and the immediate need for results. Pulisic remains, in the coach’s words, “an incredibly important player,” but importance does not automatically mean minutes.

So far this Serie A season, he has been an unused substitute in both of Milan’s matches. A late cameo in Turin is possible, especially if the game opens up or Milan need a different attacking angle, but Amorim has shown no rush to throw him back in before his sharpness returns.

An Early Barometer

Two perfect starts. Two contrasting identities. One night in Turin to measure which vision is closer to the finished article.

For Juventus, this is a chance to prove that their defensive steel can hold under real fire. For Milan, it’s an opportunity to show that Amorim’s bolder, more expansive football can travel, and can do it against a side that simply does not give much away.

Roma and Inter are already setting the pace. By the end of Sunday, the question will be whether Juventus and Milan are genuinely in that race—or already chasing shadows.