Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will be rocking tonight as Juventus and AC Milan clash in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana in what promises to a cracker. Both teams have won the cup on seven occasions and this will be Juventus’ seventh consecutive year in the final. The last time both teams met in this competition, Milan came out on top with a 4-3 penalty shootout win in Doha, Qatar. Juventus, who are yet to lose a match in Serie A this season will be huge favorites having won the previous six matches between the two teams. Ac Milan, on the other hand, will head into the game most likely without their talisman Gonzalo Higuain who has been linked with a move to Chelsea. However, Milan will be banking on their recent reasonable form which has seen them lose just once in their last five to stage an upset. Match Facts • AC Milan haven't won any of their last 6 games against Juventus Turin. • Juventus Turin haven't lost in their last 5 games. • The most common result of matches between Juventus Turin and AC Milan is 1-1. 11 matches have ended with this result. • Juventus Turin wins 1st half in 47% of their matches, AC Milan in 33% of their matches. • Juventus Turin wins 47% of halftimes, AC Milan wins 33%. More: Juventus Vs AC Milan<doc-sep>There wasn’t a whole lot to take out of Juventus’ 1-0 win over AC Milan in the 2018 Supercoppa Italiana final that was actually played 16 days into 2019 on Wednesday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Well, unless you love 1-0 games that are played in so-so atmospheres in foreign countries. (Nailed that one, Lega Calcio.) Or that you are a fan of VAR and the calls that are or not reviewed during a game. Or that you think that Juventus has fixed the referees into once again making sure that every questionable call goes in favor of the team that’s won the last seven Serie A titles. So, other than that, there’s nothing much to see here. By the simple product that was put out there, this wasn’t the grand old spectacle that is meant of a cup final between two of Italy’s most historic clubs. Juventus are obviously slowly ramping things up again with the Champions League in mind after coming out of the new year holiday break, and it’s not exactly like they were humming at full on go for much of the match even though they had nearly 62 percent of the possession. It was, though, the kind of game we’ve seen plenty of times from Juventus this season. And that’s not really including the fact that Juventus blasted more scoring opportunities well over the crossbar than they actually pot shots on frame against a Milan defense that has been anything close to reliable this season. But, when it was all said and done, we saw Cristiano Ronaldo decide a cup final that allowed Juventus to win their first trophy of the season. It’s obviously not the main trophy that Juve brought Ronaldo in to try and win, but it never hurts to have that guy scoring game-winning goals for the team that has dominated Italian football for the last seven-plus seasons. It wasn’t a pretty win. It wasn’t a game where how Juve played will be the main topic of discussion in the Italian papers tomorrow morning, if I have to try and read the situation hours before they go to print. It wasn’t the kind of grand final that Italian higher-ups were hoping for. (Although the paycheck from Saudi Arabian sports organizers will probably ease that pain a little bit ... or a lot.) But, Juventus won. And that’s cool with me. Now let me go get some popcorn as I watch people yell about VAR again. RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS<doc-sep>Juventus vs Milan: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview Beaten in the last two Supercoppa Italiana showcases, Juve are hoping for better at King Abdullah Sports City, with Cristiano Ronaldo set to start Juventus and AC Milan will play off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the right to lift the Supercoppa Italiana on Wednesday. Juve may dominate the domestic game, but in each of the last two seasons they have been foiled in their attempts to lift this trophy, beaten 3-2 by Lazio in August 2017 when it was last played for. A year previous, it was Milan who took the title, winning on penalties in Doha, Qatar, in December 2016. The Rossoneri, who were the losing Coppa Italia finalists from 2017-18, go into this clash hoping to cause a similar upset. Game Juventus vs AC Milan Date Wednesday, January 16 Time 5:30pm GMT /12:30pm ET TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch In the United States (US), the game can be watched on ESPN 2 or ESPN Deportes. It can be streamed via ESPN Deportes+ US TV channel Online stream ESPN 2 / ESPN Deportes ESPN Deportes+ In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport 1 and livestreamed on BT Sport Live. UK TV channel Online stream BT Sport 1 BT Sport Live Squads & Team News Position Juventus players Goalkeepers Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Perin Defenders De Sciglio, Chiellini, Bonucci, Rugani, Sandro Midfielders Pjanic, Matuidi, Can, Bentancur, Bernardeschi, Spinazzola, Khedira Forwards Ronaldo, Dybala, Costa, Kean Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has named a strong team, including Cristiano Ronaldo, but he will have to do without Mario Mandzukic, Andrea Barzagli, Medhi Benatia and Juan Cuadrado because of injury concerns. Allegri is set to play a 4-3-3 formation, with Rodrigo Bentancur to play in the heart of the midfield ahead of Sami Khedira. Juventus starting XI: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi; Douglas Costa, Dybala, Ronaldo Position AC Milan players Goalkeepers Donnarumma, Reina Defenders Romagnoli, Rodriguez, Musacchio, Abate, Zapata, Calabria, Strnic, Simic Midfielders Calhanoglou, Castillejo, Bakayoko, Montolivo, Laxalt, Kessie, Halilovic, Conti Forwards Higuain, Cutrone, Borini Milan also have selection headaches: Lucas Biglia, Giacomo Bonaventura, Andrea Bertolacci and Mattia Caldara are all missing, while Suso must serve a one-match suspension. With rumours swirling about a move to Chelsea, Gonzalo Higuain will start from the bench, with Patrick Cutrone taking his place in the lineup. AC Milan starting XI: Donnarumma; Calabria, Zapata, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Kessie, Bakayoko, Paqueta; Castillejo, Cutrone, Calhanoglu Betting & Match Odds Juventus are rated as 1/2 favourites by bet365. Milan can be backed at 13/2, while a draw over 90 minutes is priced at 31/10. Click here to see all of bet 365's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more. Match Preview The 60,000 capacity King Abdullah Sports City will be the stage where Serie A and Coppa Italia champions Juventus meet AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana. Both teams returned to action after the winter break at the weekend in the Coppa Italia, with both recording 2-0 victories, Juve overcoming Bologna and their opponents defeating Sampdoria. The Turin side start the match as clear favourites, having established a nine-point lead at the summit of Serie A, with 17 wins and two draws from their 19 league fixtures so far this season. Milan, on the other hand, find themselves in fourth, an astonishing 22 points back of their Turin rivals. After missing out on this title in each of the last two years, Massimiliano Allegri’s side are hungry to pick up the silverware in Saudi Arabia. While there is slightly more pride riding on this game than in previous matches as both teams are competing to be the first club to reach eight Supercoppa victories, Allegri sees this as a dress rehearsal for the Champions League , in which his side will tackle Atletico Madrid in the spring. “This is good practice to prepare for elimination rounds,” the coach said, although he did indicate that he hoped to avoid the eventuality of extra-time and potentially penalties, which is how the match will be decided if it finishes all square after 90 minutes. In the opposite dugout, Gennaro Gattuso is acutely aware of the challenge that faces his side, having seen them lose 4-0 in the Coppa Italia final in May. “We are up against a side that has been dominant in Italy and Europe for eight years, they know how to play for trophies, but it’s important for us to be here and feel this experience too,” he said. Article continues below “We’ve got to play our game with a relaxed approach, because the strongest team doesn’t always win in a one-off match. We want to see a great performance to beat Juve, we’re well aware of that.” One man who the Rossoneri will have to police particularly closely if they are to experience the success that their coach craves is Paulo Dybala. The Argentine has scored three times in the Supercoppa Italiana previously and, if he were to notch again, he would become the all-time top scorer in the 31-year history of the competition.<doc-sep>
Wednesday sees Italian football’s two most successful clubs contest for this season’s Supercoppa Italiana, in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Juventus , unbeaten in the league this season and double winners last season, provide Gennaro Gattuso’s side with the most intimidating of tests. However, the Rossoneri have the edge in this competition, having beat Wednesday’s opponents in the 2016 final in Doha. They will be targeting an eighth Supercoppa Italiana, which is their most recent piece of silverware to date. The Old Lady are the favourites on paper, but they will know that anything can happen in a one-off game, having tasted defeat in three of the last four editions of the competition. (Image: AFP/Getty Images) When is the game? The final takes place this evening, with kick-off at 17:30 GMT. Where is the game being played? The match will be played at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, in Jeddah. Is the game on TV and can you live stream? The match will be shown exclusively on BT Sport 1 for those in the UK. It will be available to live stream on the BT Sport website if you are a subscriber to their service. (Image: Getty Images for Lega Serie A) Juventus team news Mario Mandzukic will be unavailable with a thigh injury, meaning Cristiano Ronaldo should lead the line. Medhi Benatia picked up an injury in the warm-up before Wednesday’s outing against Bologna, so he will also play no part in Jeddah. AC Milan team news Gennaro Gattuso will be without the suspended Suso, who has been a key man for Milan this season. This should pave the way for January arrival Lucas Paqueta to make his second start in as many games. Matt Caldara, Lucas Biglia and Giacomo Bonaventura are all still nursing injuries and will be missing. Despite his uncertain future, Gonzalo Higuain, who is eligible, could start against the club he is still contracted to. Predicted XIs Juventus: Szczesny, De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Bentancur, Panic, Matuidi, Dybala, Ronaldo, Costa. AC Milan: Reina, Abate, Musacchio, Ramagnoli, Laxalt, Castilejjo, Kessie, Bakayoko, Paqueta, Calhanoglu, Higuain. (Image: REUTERS) Betting odds Juventus 4/9 Draw 3/1 AC Milan 11/2 Odds courtesy of Paddy Power Quotes corner Juve boss Max Allegri: “It’s a one-off game but we’ve trained well and we’re in good shape. We’re ready for it.” AC boss Gennaro Gattuso: “At this moment there are lots of rumours and we must accept them, we must think about the Super Cup, we hope to bring home the trophy but it will be difficult.”