Torino vs Milan: Two New Projects Face Their First Real Test in Turin
The first competitive night of the new Serie A season brings together two clubs beginning important changes from the touchline.
Torino enter this campaign under Ignazio Abate, who faces his first Serie A match as a senior head coach against the club where he spent much of his playing and coaching career.
Milan arrive with Rúben Amorim also preparing for his first competitive match in charge, after the Rossoneri finished the previous league campaign outside the Champions League places.
The contrast is therefore not simply about two teams trying to collect three points; both coaches are attempting to establish a different identity from the opening whistle.
Milan’s summer has revolved around Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 structure, while Torino have also been working with a three-man defensive system under Abate.
That shared shape could make the battle between the two attacking midfield lines particularly important when the teams meet at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
Torino’s preparation gives Abate some reason for optimism, with the club winning five of six friendlies and suffering only one defeat during the summer, before opening their competitive schedule with a 1-0 Coppa Italia victory over Carrarese.
The coach has already confirmed that 19-year-old Diego Mascardi will start in goal because Franco Israel is unavailable, while new arrivals Pietro Comuzzo and Kian Fitz-Jim are among the players expected to contribute immediately.
Giovanni Simeone provides Torino with a natural focal point up front, supported by Nikola Vlašić and Cesare Casadei in the spaces behind him.
Milan’s attacking picture is different because Rafael Leão has been ruled out through injury, while Christian Pulisic is not yet considered fully match-fit after his recent return to training.
That creates an opportunity for Gonçalo Ramos to lead the attack, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and 19-year-old Alphadjo Cissé expected to operate behind him in Amorim’s system.
The tactical contest may therefore depend on whether Torino can prevent Milan’s two attacking midfielders from receiving between the lines without leaving Simeone isolated at the other end.
The pre-match discussion in the Italian press has centred heavily on Milan’s transformation and the pressure attached to Amorim’s competitive debut.
Milan’s official preview describes the trip as the first opportunity to translate the coach’s summer work into a competitive performance, while Amorim has stressed collective effort and the need to build a winning mentality from the beginning.
Torino’s story is equally compelling because Abate is facing his former club immediately, but he has insisted that sentiment will disappear once the match begins and that Torino must make Milan work for everything.
There is also a historical warning for the visitors: SempreMilan notes that Milan have won only twice away to Torino in their last 13 years, making this a particularly demanding opening assignment.
The Granata finished 12th last season and are looking to move closer to the European places, while Milan’s objective is to restore themselves among Italy’s leading clubs after a disappointing 2025/26 campaign.
Nothing has been decided before kick-off, but the surrounding narrative makes this one of the more intriguing opening-round fixtures because both sides have something substantial to prove.
One detail could shape the match more than any individual duel: how aggressively each side uses its wing-backs when possession changes hands.
With Torino expected to use Marcus Pedersen and Alessio Cacciamani on the outside, Abate can try to stretch Milan’s back three and create room for Vlašić or Casadei to attack centrally.
Milan have their own route to overload those areas through Samuel Chukwueze and Pervis Estupiñán, while Luka Modrić is expected to provide control and progression from midfield.
Gonçalo Ramos is another major point of interest after his strong goalscoring record in France and his impressive pre-season contribution for Milan, including a goal in the 4-2 comeback against Manchester United.
The match is scheduled for 20:45 CEST on Sunday 23 August, with Luca Zufferli appointed referee and the Olimpico Grande Torino providing the setting for both coaching debuts.
The opening phase should reveal whether Torino’s energy and verticality can unsettle Milan or whether Amorim’s structure can impose enough control to make the Rossoneri’s new era begin on the front foot.
🩺 Official Medical Update
The latest official club information identifies one medical absence for each side. Torino’s official match preview confirms that goalkeeper Franco Israel is unavailable, with Abate naming Mascardi as his starter. Milan’s official preview confirms that Rafael Leão will miss the match through injury. No officially confirmed long-term injury or questionable designation has been added to the match information reviewed for either team, so no speculative names are included below.
| Torino — Official Injury Status | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Player | Injury / Status |
| Out / Ruled Out | Franco Israel | Unavailable; Diego Mascardi confirmed to start in goal |
| Milan — Official Injury Status | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Player | Injury / Status |
| Out / Ruled Out | Rafael Leão | Unavailable through injury; not in the travelling squad |
🔵 Expected Matchday Elevens
The clubs had not released their official starting XI at the time of this pre-match article, so the tables below are projected selections rather than confirmed team sheets. They reflect the latest reported formations and team information available before kick-off.
| Torino — Projected Starting Side | ||
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Diego Mascardi | Goalkeeper |
| Defence | Saúl Coco | Right centre-back |
| Defence | Ardian Ismajli | Central defender |
| Defence | Pietro Comuzzo | Left centre-back |
| Wing-back | Marcus Pedersen | Right side |
| Midfield | Kian Fitz-Jim | Central midfield |
| Midfield | Gvidas Gineitis | Central midfield |
| Wing-back | Alessio Cacciamani | Left side |
| Attack | Nikola Vlašić | Attacking midfield |
| Attack | Cesare Casadei | Attacking midfield |
| Striker | Giovanni Simeone | Centre-forward |
| Milan — Projected Starting Side | ||
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Mike Maignan | Goalkeeper |
| Defence | Mario Gila | Right centre-back |
| Defence | Matteo Gabbia | Central defender |
| Defence | Strahinja Pavlović | Left centre-back |
| Wing-back | Samuel Chukwueze | Right side |
| Midfield | Luka Modrić | Central midfield |
| Midfield | Yunus Musah | Central midfield |
| Wing-back | Pervis Estupiñán | Left side |
| Attack | Ruben Loftus-Cheek | Attacking midfield |
| Attack | Alphadjo Cissé | Attacking midfield |
| Striker | Gonçalo Ramos | Centre-forward |
⭐ Personnel Who Could Shape the Contest
| Torino — Key Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Ignazio Abate | First Serie A match as Torino head coach |
| Goalkeeper | Diego Mascardi | Confirmed starter after Israel’s absence |
| Attack | Giovanni Simeone | Central reference in Torino’s attack |
| Attack | Nikola Vlašić | Expected attacking midfielder |
| Milan — Key Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Rúben Amorim | First official match as Milan head coach |
| Midfield | Luka Modrić | Experienced central midfielder |
| Attack | Gonçalo Ramos | Expected starting striker |
| Attack | Alphadjo Cissé | Potential attacking starter with Leão unavailable |
Key Pre-Match Points
- Two coaching debuts: Rúben Amorim takes charge of Milan for the first time in Serie A, while Ignazio Abate begins his Torino tenure in the top flight.
- Torino’s goalkeeper change: Franco Israel is unavailable and Diego Mascardi has been confirmed by Abate as the starter.
- Milan without Leão: Rafael Leão is unavailable through injury, removing one of Milan’s principal attacking outlets.
- Amorim’s system: Milan have consistently used a 3-4-2-1 during pre-season.
- Torino’s momentum: The Granata won five of six summer friendlies and began their competitive campaign with a Coppa Italia win over Carrarese.
- Important venue: Kick-off is scheduled for 20:45 CEST at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, with Luca Zufferli as referee.
Variation rule for this article: the preview deliberately begins with the two coaching projects and keeps the tactical battle between the 3-4-2-1 structures as the central thread, rather than opening with injuries, head-to-head statistics or the match venue.
| ⚽Extended Highlights | |
|---|---|
| 🥅 Watch | Server #1 |
