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After an impressive pre-season, AC Milan are set to kick off their competitive campaign on Saturday evening, hosting Torino at San Siro.
Both teams enter the new Serie A season under fresh leadership, with Paulo Fonseca particularly eager to make a strong start in his new role.
Despite leading AC Milan to a Scudetto victory two years ago and coming close to a Champions League final, Stefano Pioli’s tenure came to an end after an inconsistent 2023-24 season that fizzled out. The Rossoneri closed last season with just one win in their final nine games across all competitions, leading to increasing demands for a managerial change.
Now, with former Roma coach Paulo Fonseca at the helm and club legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic involved in the boardroom, Milan are determined to close the gap on their city rivals, Inter Milan, who finished 19 points ahead last season.
Fonseca has already guided Milan to high-profile pre-season wins against Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. The team capped off their preparations with a 3-1 victory over Monza in the Trofeo Berlusconi.
Fonseca’s track record at Lille is promising, having led the team to the most clean sheets in Ligue 1 last season (22) and the second-highest goal tally behind Paris Saint-Germain. A resurgence for the Rossoneri seems likely in 2024-25.
History favors a successful debut for the Portuguese coach on Saturday, as Milan have won their last four Serie A season openers and are unbeaten in 28 home league games against Torino.
Torino’s last Serie A away win against Milan dates back to March 1985, though they did manage a 3-1 victory over the Rossoneri in Turin as recently as May.
Former coach Ivan Juric left the club with some harsh words for the management, despite stabilizing the team during his tenure. Torino narrowly missed out on European qualification last season, achieving 18 clean sheets – their best record in nearly 50 years.
With defensive stalwart Alessandro Buongiorno also departing, new coach Paolo Vanoli faces the challenge of keeping Torino competitive in the top half of the table.
Vanoli, who was once Antonio Conte’s assistant with Italy and Inter, led Venezia to promotion through last season’s Serie B playoffs. After securing a 2-0 win over Cosenza in the Coppa Italia last week, he now heads to Milan with hopes of pulling off an upset.
