AC Milan and Juventus played out a rather boring draw at San Siro on Sunday night, albeit one that allowed both teams to take a step towards top four.
The highlight at both ends came in the first half, as Alexis Saelemaekers rattled the crossbar with a first-time shot that almost gave Milan the lead, while Khephren Thuram did have the ball in the back of the net for Juve but from an offside position.
In the end the two teams would have to shake hands and settle for a third 0-0 in their past five meetings. It certainly wasn’t the best advert for Italian football, though the Rossoneri now have a six-point cushion over fifth place to defend with four games left. Rohit Rajeev has the tactical breakdown.
Set-ups and shape
Massimiliano Allegri chose to continue with the 3-5-2 and went to his tried and tested formula of Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic as the three-man defence, Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi as the wing-backs, plus Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic up front.
Bartesaghi was deployed in an advanced role on the left to draw Juventus’ press backward, while also combining with Pavlović and Rabiot to create overloads on that flank.
Against Spalletti’s man-oriented system, Milan adapted by pushing Maignan higher during build-up, effectively creating an extra outfield player and giving Pavlović more freedom as the spare man to progress play.
Protecting the draw
Allegri’s ‘defence-first’ approach was evident throughout. Milan consistently dropped numbers behind the ball to guard against transitions, but this came at a cost.
When counter-attacking opportunities emerged, Modrić was often the furthest player forward and lacked sufficient support, leading to stalled transitions that Juventus could recover from.
On the right, Saelemaekers’ advanced positioning pinned back Cambiaso and Bremer, which opened space between Juventus’ midfield and defensive lines, zones that Rabiot looked to exploit.
Spalletti’s key attacking mechanism revolved around wide overloads, with the full-back, winger, and near-sided midfielder combining on one flank to generate crossing or cut-back opportunities.
Allegri countered this by having Pulisic drop deeper alongside Saelemaekers, Fofana, and Tomori to create a 4v3 defensive superiority in wide areas.
Spalletti also targeted Bartesaghi’s perceived weakness in 1v1 situations, aiming to isolate him against Conceição. Prior to Juventus’ disallowed goal, Milan’s zonal block was deliberately shifted toward the left before Thuram switched play quickly, creating the desired 1v1 scenario for Conceição.
Key moments at both ends
Defensively, Gabbia demonstrated strong awareness inside the box, repeatedly checking his marker and timing his movement perfectly to step up and play Thuram offside, underlining the importance of constant scanning in defensive phases.
👌 The art of the offside trap, ft. Matteo Gabbia 🛡pic.twitter.com/4rS8sTyVGk
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) April 28, 2026
The game’s only ‘big chance’ came through co-ordinated counter-movements between Leão and Pulisic. Leão dropped deeper while Pulisic occupied the vacated space, creating a dynamic rotation.
After a quick combination in transition, Leão released Saelemaekers, who found himself in space largely due to Pulisic’s run drawing Cambiaso away.
The data
In terms of duels, Juventus held the upper hand, reflecting greater urgency and intensity, while Milan remained more passive, focusing on absorbing pressure and countering selectively.
However, Juventus lacked precision in the final pass, which is reflected in Milan recording more interceptions, indicating that despite being under pressure, Milan were effective at reading and cutting out key passes.