Serie A Matchday 3 throws up a genuinely awkward fixture for both clubs: Juventus host AC Milan on 6 September 2026 with each side having won their opening two games, which means one of them goes home with their first dropped points and a slightly different season on their hands. Luciano Spalletti has built Juventus on defensive structure while Rubén Amorim has built Milan around pace and movement in behind and the combined absences of four important players mean neither coach gets to run their preferred system cleanly, making the tactical improvisations just as interesting as the match itself.
Spalletti took charge of Juventus on 30 October 2025 after Massimo Brambilla's interim spell ended and Amorim only arrived at Milan in mid-June 2026 following Massimiliano Allegri's departure, so there is simply no head to head record between them, with Saturday marking the first time they will face each other in a competitive fixture.
Juventus arrive having kept back to back clean sheets, beating Frosinone 1-0 in August and then Parma 2-0 before the international break. Milan's record is identical in points if not in style, with a 2-1 win over Torino followed by a 2-0 defeat of Venezia. They press higher and move faster in transition and have already conceded once against a side yet to let anything through.
Kenan Yildiz is out for Juventus with a broken foot that has required surgery and long term rehab, while Khephren Thuram remains sidelined after knee surgery with no imminent return date. Yildiz gave Juventus dynamism on the left, losing Thuram on top of that thins the midfield rotation considerably, putting more weight on whoever fills the double pivot, with Nico Gonzalez likely stepping into more responsibility up front as a result.
Milan's problems are similarly awkward. Rafael Leao's transfer to Galatasaray means Amorim has lost the one player who could advance the left channel alone and draw two defenders before the attack had even shaped up and all of this before he has managed a full pre season with the squad. Matteo Gabbia's injury absence further disrupts the defensive structure, forcing a choice between a back three or four and leaving both coaches improvising considerably more than they would like.
The match will turn on how each side handles transitions once the initial press breaks down. Spalletti has set Juventus up to sit compact and frustrate before building through structure, with Bremer stepping into midfield to disrupt opposition rhythm, a role that has already produced two clean sheets. Without Thuram, though, regaining the ball quickly in central areas becomes a genuine concern and Juventus may find themselves pinned back in spells they would normally recover from faster. On the other side, Milan without Leao lose the one player willing to carry the ball into contact on that flank and hold defenders' attention long enough for the attack to shape up around him, so Amorim will likely look to overload central channels, with Theo Hernandez pushing forward on the overlap to generate width in the areas Leao would previously have occupied.
Maignan's distribution from the back will matter a good deal if Juventus press early. The absence of Gabbia could see Milan's defensive line sit a little deeper than Amorim would want, which draws Juventus's press higher and opens space behind Milan's midfield for Gonzalez to exploit. Kolo Muani, still without a goal this season despite a string of attempts, will be looking to Gonzalez and the wing backs to create the half chances he can convert rather than manufacture his own, while Ramos needs to find ways to isolate Bremer or exploit the gaps left by Thuram's absence. If Milan cannot break through early and resort to longer balls towards Ramos, Juventus will look to win possession back through Bremer's positioning and feed Gonzalez quickly in behind. Lose the defensive shape, though and Milan's ability to hit in behind could bring Ramos into the game in a hurry.
Juventus hold approximately 69 wins to Milan's 53 with 60 draws across 183 Serie A meetings. More relevant to Saturday is the recent run: Juventus have kept clean sheets in each of the last six Serie A meetings between the clubs, a streak that fits Spalletti's current methods rather well.
Set pieces could matter more than usual given the personnel gaps. Bremer's aerial presence in both boxes is the clearest set piece asset on the pitch on Saturday and without Leao's delivery from wide areas Milan will rely more on Maignan's long distribution or Ramos's movement from dead ball situations. Both sides have been disciplined in open play so far but early season fixtures of this weight tend to produce fouls in dangerous positions.
Juventus 2-1 AC Milan is the prediction. Spalletti has applied the same defensive principles in every match since October and produced six clean sheets against this specific opponent and that consistency outweighs Milan's attacking upside right now. Kolo Muani has created and missed enough that a goal feels overdue and a makeshift Milan backline without Gabbia seems the more likely place for that to finally change. Milan will create chances, with Ramos or a midfield runner getting in behind the Juventus line feeling probable but without Leao, Amorim has no one who can advance the left channel alone and that absence will show over the full ninety minutes in ways that compound. The one scenario that flips this is Ramos getting in behind the Juventus line before the hour, if that happens, the clean sheet run and the defensive structure both get tested in ways this Juventus side has not faced yet.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
