While the Old Lady of Juventus is faltering, AC Milan are rising to take her place, carried in part by old men, but on Sunday they face an ancient foe.
Last season, as the nine-year Juventus domination ended, Milan, despite their financial problems, rose to second, their highest finish in nine years, propelled in part by 17 goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
This season, the 40-year-old Swede’s dodgy knees and tendons have restricted him to just four Serie A appearances, although he has scored twice.
He has completed 90 minutes in the league just once, last Saturday when he scored in a 4-2 win at Bologna.
On Tuesday, he was on the bench for all but the last three minutes of the low-key 1-0 win over Torino.