Two of the most successful Italian clubs of all time will go head to head on Friday night when Serie A leaders Juventus host seventh-placed AC Milan at the Juventus Stadium.

Revenge will be on the Bianconeri’s mind after suffering a shock defeat in the Supercoppa Italiana in January and while they are favourites against the Rossoneri, battles with their arch-rivals are always hotly contested.

Juventus
Massmiliano Allegri continues to impress with the Old Lady as Juventus have transformed into a team which is a monster at the domestic level at least. The final frontier for them is Europe, but even there Juve have been impressive. In fact as the business end of the season approaches, they are hitting top form as a run of 10 wins and a draw from their last 11 games suggests.

Their Argentine strike team of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain are a sight to behold, with the former seemingly enhancing his burgeoning reputation with every game. With a central midfield pairing of Sami Khedira and Mirajlem Pjanic blending craft with graft, it is easy to see why the Old Lady has dominated Serie A for the past five seasons. 

Their steely defence of is as watertight as ever, but with Giorgio Chiellini ruled out of Friday’s side, a reshuffle is on the cards and perhaps is an area which Milan’s youthful brigade can exploit.

All in all, it is hard to pinpoint a major chink in Allegri’s side and perhaps that is why they are eight points clear in the league table. 

AC Milan
Milan have impressed in patches this season and to be honest have failed to build on their morale-boosting Supercoppa Italiana win over Juve at the start of 2017. 
While four wins and a draw from their last five games shows that their youthful side is slowly but surely coming good on their massive potential, beating Juve in their own backyard is another task altogether. 
Experienced striker Carlos Bacca has hit a purple patch at the right time but Vinceno Montella’s men will have to win the midfield battle if they are to supply the South American striker with ample ammunition.
Young wingers Suso and Gerard Deulofeu bring an exciting dimension to their attack but tendency to flit in and out of games will not be acceptable against a canny Juve defence and the two will be have to be at the top of their game if Milan are to come away with a positive result.

Milan’s biggest jewel is without a doubt their teenaged goalkeeper, Gianlugi Donnarumma, who is touted as Gianlugi Buffon’s successor. High praise for a player who doesn't have much senior experience, but then the 18-year-old shot stopper is indeed special and against an in-form Juve side, will be tested to the limit.

Ricardo Montolivo and Giacomo Bonaventura are long-term injury absentees and while Ignazio Abate is struggling with an eye injury, the full back should make the final squad for Friday’s game.

Super Stat: The first official Juventus-AC Milan game took place way back in 1901, a five-goal thriller with the Rossoneri won 3-1!