Torino vs AC Milan: Abate's Challenge Against Amorim's Revolution

Sunday night in Turin. New seasons, new managers, old tensions.

At the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Ignazio Abate begins his first full campaign in charge of Torino by facing the club that made him a legend. In the opposite dugout, Rúben Amorim takes his first competitive step as AC Milan boss, already juggling injuries and expectation.

Kick-off is at 7:45pm BST. The stakes feel higher than that for both.

Abate’s Torino: fresh ideas, familiar steel

Torino arrive with a quiet edge. They’ve already tasted competitive action, edging Carrarese 1-0 in the Coppa Italia thanks to Giovanni Simeone’s decisive strike. It was a functional win, but for Abate it was exactly what he wanted: control, discipline, and a match-winner up front.

The squad is in decent shape. Faustino Anjorin and Pietro Pellegri are out, while long-term absentee Duván Zapata remains unavailable, but there’s no sense of crisis. Simeone is locked in to lead the line again, the focal point of a side that finished last season with a strong home record: unbeaten in their final six Serie A games at the Olimpico, with four wins and two draws.

That run wasn’t a fluke. Torino turned their stadium into a place where opponents had to suffer, and Abate intends to keep it that way.

There is also a new look about this Toro. Ajax loanee Kian Fitz-Jim is in line for his Serie A bow in midfield, offering energy and sharp passing between the lines. At the back, Swiss centre-back Eray Cömert is ready for his competitive debut, adding experience and aggression to the defensive unit.

Abate’s predicted XI reflects a coach willing to be bold against his former club: Mascardi; Comuzzo, Comert, Coco; Pedersen, Fitz-Jim, Gineitis, Cacciamani; Vlasic, Casadei; Simeone.

It’s a side built to bite into duels, then break with purpose. And with Milan still adjusting defensively under Amorim, Torino sense an opportunity to land an early blow in front of their own fans.

Amorim’s Milan: big ideas, big absences

On the other side, the Amorim era begins with promise and problems in equal measure.

The promise is obvious. Milan have invested heavily and aggressively. Club-record signing Gonçalo Ramos is fit and expected to spearhead the attack, a penalty-box predator tailor-made for a side that wants to play on the front foot. Mario Gila, another summer arrival, is ready to slot into a three-man defence alongside Strahinja Pavlović, a clear signal that Amorim intends to impose his own structure from day one.

The problems are just as clear. Rafael Leão, Milan’s most devastating individual weapon, is out with a muscle strain. Santi Giménez, brought in to deepen the forward line, is sidelined by an ankle sprain. Two major attacking options, gone before a ball is kicked in Serie A.

So the system must carry the load.

Samuel Chukwueze is set to continue in the adventurous right wing-back role he occupied in pre-season, a position that asks him to be both sprinter and outlet. In midfield, Luka Modrić brings calm and clarity, the veteran tasked with dictating the rhythm in the center of the pitch. Alongside him, Adrien Rabiot offers legs and balance, while the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alexis Saelemaekers are expected to support Ramos from advanced positions.

Milan’s projected lineup underlines Amorim’s intent: Maignan; De Winter, Gila, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Loftus-Cheek, Saelemaekers; Ramos.

It’s a side that can explode going forward, but it also carries risk. The back line is new. The structure is new. And Serie A rarely gives you time to settle.

Form, pressure, and a fragile balance

The mood around Torino is quietly optimistic. That Coppa Italia win over Carrarese set the tone, Simeone already up and running. The foundation is last season’s home form: six league games unbeaten to close out the campaign at the Olimpico, four of them victories. Abate will lean heavily on that solidity as he looks to turn Torino into a stubborn, snarling presence in the top half.

Milan’s recent story is far more volatile. Their pre-season closed with a wild 4-2 win over Manchester United, a reminder of the attacking power Amorim can unleash when it clicks. But that came on the back of a heavy 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, a result that exposed how fragile this evolving setup can be against high-level opposition.

Look back a little further and the warning signs multiply. Milan lost seven of their final 13 league matches last season. For a club with Scudetto ambitions, that collapse still lingers in the background. Amorim’s first competitive game, away to a well-drilled Torino, is no gentle introduction.

He needs a statement. Not just a win, but control. Authority. Something that tells the rest of the league that Milan’s late-season slump belongs firmly to the past.

Where the game could turn

So much rests on the duels in the middle of the pitch. If Fitz-Jim and Gineitis can disrupt Modrić’s rhythm, Torino can drag Milan into a physical, fractured contest that suits the home side. If Modrić is allowed to dictate, Ramos will not go hungry.

Out wide, Chukwueze’s role will be fascinating. Push too high and Torino can spring into the spaces he leaves. Sit too deep and Milan lose one of their most dangerous outlets.

And then there’s Simeone. Already decisive in the cup, he thrives on nights like this: tight games, small margins, one chance to tilt the narrative.

How to watch

For viewers in the UK, Torino vs AC Milan will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and is also available via the DAZN streaming platform.

Two new managers. One charged atmosphere in Turin. Does Abate frustrate his old club, or does Amorim’s Milan announce themselves with a roar on opening night?