Champions Juventus host AC Milan in a potentially
high-risk fixture on Saturday that could pit Gianluigi Buffon against the
teenage sensation widely expected to succeed him as goalkeeper of Italy.
Juventus appear to have put their disastrous start to
the campaign behind them but a stubborn nine-point deficit to leaders
Fiorentina means they have plenty of ground to make up in the race for the
'scudetto'.
Yet in a match that will see security tightened
significantly in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, all eyes could be on the
goalkeepers who, between them, represent the past, present and future of the
game in Italy.
Buffon, 37, was feted by his peers on Thursday when he
celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Serie A debut with Parma.
It came on November 19, 1995 and on that occasion the
17-year-old produced a performance worthy of 'keepers twice his age to defy
Roberto Baggio, Marco Simone and George Weah as Parma held AC Milan to a
scoreless draw.
Whether by design or accident, 20 years later, almost
to the day, Buffon will again face Milan. Only this time, when he shakes hands
with Gianluigi Donnarumma, fans could be witnessing a virtual passing of the
torch.
Donnarumma, 16, made his league debut in a 2-1 win
over Sassuolo last month and kept Spanish veteran Diego Lopez on the bench ever
since.
Milan have claimed 10 points from their past four
outings to move to within seven points behind La Viola and much of it is down
to teenage sensation Donnarumma.
Juventus have doubts over Croatian striker Mario
Mandzukic after he hobbled off with an injured ankle against Russia, and strike
partner Paulo Dybala was scheduled to return only Thursday from international
duty with Argentina.
But Juve's Spanish striker Alvaro Morata told
Juventus's in-house television channel Jtv: "We're still hungry for wins
and we want to be back at the top of the table where we belong."
Although still missing striker Mario Balotelli through
injury, Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic can count on Carlos Bacca and M'Baye
Niang, and also welcomes Giacomo Bonaventura back from suspension to bolster
his midfield.
Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli, who has recently
been described as the 'new Andrea Nesta', refuses to rule Juve out of the title
race but said the Rossoneri have to continue their recent purple patch.
"Juve are strong and will give 100 per cent on
Saturday. They're still one of the favourites for the title," he said.
"If we're going to reach our objective of a top
three finish, we have to win as many games as possible, and that means
continuing our good run of results by looking for a win on Saturday
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