Torino vs AC Milan preview: Team news, tips & more as Chukwueze adopts new role under Amorim

Torino host AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Sunday, August 23, 2026, in a Matchday 1 fixture that opens the new Serie A season for both clubs, Afrik-foot reports.

Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan begin a rebuilding season with at least six significant absentees.

Ignazio Abate’s Torino, by contrast, arrive strengthened by a consistent pre-season full of positive results.

Match analysis: A Turbulent Restart for AC Milan, A Real Chance For Torino

Milan finished the 2025/26 Serie A season in fifth place, securing a Europa League spot. Even so, the lingering feeling was one of wasted potential.

The change in leadership began during last season itself. Paulo Fonseca departed after 17 games, Sérgio Conceição took over and guided the side to 70 points, and Massimiliano Allegri closed out the campaign.

Now Ruben Amorim takes charge with the task of giving identity to a squad undergoing deep transformation. The Portuguese coach has already made drastic decisions.

Christopher Nkunku, Fikayo Tomori, Youssouf Fofana and David Odogu have been excluded from the group and train separately, awaiting a move in the market. Santiago Giménez is out with a thigh injury until September.

Christian Pulisic suffered bone bruising and a stress fracture in his right leg during the World Cup and will be sidelined for four to six weeks.

Milan’s pre-season mirrored this instability, with just one win in five games. The last friendly, played in Wroclaw against Manchester United, was the only genuinely convincing result.

Before that came a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in Jakarta, draws with Inter (1-1) and Celtic (2-2), and a 2-1 defeat to Cagliari in the final round of last season.

Milan’s defence conceded an average of two goals per game over that period, a marked contrast to the solidity Amorim usually demands from his sides.

Torino, on the other hand, arrive in the opposite circumstances. Last season was modest, with a 12th-place finish and 45 points from 38 games, but pre-season under Ignazio Abate has brought encouraging signs.

The side won four of their last five games, with victories over Carrarese (1-0, Coppa Italia), Burnley (1-0 away), Alcione (1-0) and Pinzolo (13-0), as well as a 2-2 draw with Juventus at the close of last season.

Across those five games, Torino scored 18 and conceded just two, a record that points to defensive organisation and attacking efficiency. The Granata squad received notable reinforcements for this campaign.

Pietro Comuzzo arrived from Fiorentina to strengthen the defence, Kian Fitz-Jim joined from Ajax for the midfield, Gaetano Oristanio was signed from Venezia, and Cesare Casadei brings international experience following a spell in England.

Our analysis suggests Milan, even weakened, still carry enough individual quality to win in Turin, but Torino should offer real resistance and score at least once.

Head-to-Head Record For Torino vs AC Milan

The five most recent meetings between the sides show a rare balance in this fixture, with each side winning twice and one draw in between.

On March 21, 2026, Milan won at home 3-2, repeating the scoreline from the game in Turin on December 8, 2025, when Milan were also 3-2 winners at the Olimpico.

Before that, Torino had won at home 2-1 in February 2025 and 3-1 in May 2024, while the meeting in Milan in August 2024 ended in a 2-2 draw.

A pattern worth noting is that both sides scored in all five games, with the average goals per match sitting at 4.2.

This is a historically open fixture, in which neither side tends to sit back defensively.

With both sides having changed manager during the off-season, however, the predictive weight of this recent history is diminished, as these are new projects with different players and distinct tactical systems.

Team News: Torino and AC Milan Injury Updates and Predicted Lineups

Torino

Duván Zapata is a doubt for the opener because of a knee injury and may not be available. Pietro Pellegri, who is recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture, has returned to training but is still considered a doubt.

Aside from that, Abate’s squad is complete and the new signings are integrated into the group.

Predicted Torino lineup (3-4-2-1): Paleari; Comuzzo, Coco, Cömert; Pedersen, Gineitis, Fitz-Jim, Cacciamani; Casadei, Vlasic; Simeone. Manager: Ignazio Abate.

Milan

The list of absentees is long: Nkunku, Tomori, Fofana and Odogu have been left out and train separately, awaiting a transfer.

Giménez has a thigh injury and only returns in September, Pulisic will be out for four to six weeks after his World Cup injury, and Leão is a doubt with muscle discomfort.

Maignan and Rabiot returned to training on Sunday, August 16, 2026, and are available for selection.

Gabbia’s condition was assessed during the week and he should be available, with Samuel Chukwueze, the Super Eagles winger, expected to keep his place out wide.

Predicted Milan lineup (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Gila, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek; Gonçalo Ramos. Manager: Ruben Amorim.

Samuel Chukwueze: A New Role Under Ruben Amorim Could Change His Milan Story

Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze could have a more important role for AC Milan under Ruben Amorim. He has been playing as a right wing-back in pre-season, and he will likely adopt that role tomorrow.

The Nigerian is expected to start against Torino, with Amorim likely to use his pace and dribbling ability from the right side while giving him greater freedom to attack spaces and move inside while adding his bit defensively.

For Chukwueze, this is a valuable opportunity to finally establish himself under a new coach. He has shown flashes of quality at Milan but has struggled for consistency, particularly in the final third.

Amorim’s system could give him more responsibility, but it will also demand better decision-making and defensive discipline. If he can add goals and assists to his explosiveness, Chukwueze could become an important part of Milan’s rebuilding project.

Player Spotlight: Nikola Vlasic and Gonçalo Ramos

The Head Coaches: Abate Rebuilds, Amorim Improvises

Ignazio Abate

A former Milan full-back, Abate, 39, took charge of Torino following Roberto D’Aversa’s spell at the club last season.

Pre-season has been his laboratory, with the coach an advocate of a back-three system with advancing full-backs.

Abate is looking to give Torino a more consistent attacking identity than the one seen in the previous campaign.

The results in warm-up games suggest the defensive work has improved, and now the Serie A opener will be the first real test.

Ruben Amorim

The 41-year-old Portuguese coach arrived at Milan after a spell in the Premier League and carries the weight of restoring his reputation as a manager. Amorim has opted for the 3-4-2-1 formation that defined his work at Sporting.

He has had to quickly adapt the system, however, to a squad in the midst of reshaping.

The decision to exclude four players from the group during pre-season shows the coach has prioritised discipline and tactical fit over squad depth, a risky bet for the start of the season.

Tactical Analysis: Torino vs Milan

Both sides are expected to line up in variations of a 3-4-2-1, which creates interesting mirror match-ups out wide.

The duel between Pedersen and Bartesaghi, on Torino’s right against Milan’s left, could prove decisive.

The Norwegian has more experience and greater capacity to push forward, while the young Italian relies on his pace.

In midfield, Modric and Rabiot give Milan a clear edge in build-up play, but Gineitis and Fitz-Jim, the Ajax signing, bring energy and intensity for Torino.

Casadei and Vlasic occupy the half-spaces and should look to exploit the gaps Milan’s defence may leave, particularly if Gila and Pavlovic have not yet developed sufficient understanding in the back three.

Torino are likely to press high in the opening minutes to impose their rhythm and feed off the crowd’s energy.

Milan, meanwhile, will look to control possession and make use of Gonçalo Ramos, the former Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain striker, as their focal point up front, with Chukwueze offering an outlet on the right.

Torino vs AC Milan: Betting Tips

Torino vs AC Milan: Score prediction

AC Milan’s individual quality, even with the absentees, remains above what Torino can currently offer.

Modric, Rabiot and Gonçalo Ramos form an axis capable of deciding an open game, and the visitors are likely to find space as the match develops.

At the same time, the defensive solidity Torino showed in pre-season, allied to home advantage and the energy of an opening-day fixture under new management, should be enough for the Granata to score at least once.