All the signs are looking good that leading Italian football club AC Milan could secure its first Serie A title in 10 years.
Milan defeated Torino 2-0 on Saturday to extend the Rossoneri’s lead at the top of Serie A as second-place Internazionale drew at Roma on Sunday.
After its 17 games – nearly half the season – Milan has 40 points, three ahead of city rivals Inter and 10 more than Juventus, though the defending champion has played two fewer matches than the Serie A leader ahead of its Sunday fixture against Sassuolo.
But it’s not just Milan’s impressive league form – its lost just one league game this season – that is giving the club’s fans confidence that this could be the year the team secures a 19th scudetto.
Over the last 12 months, Milan has become the most improved team in Europe, according to a report from a leading sports data company, released earlier this month.
“AC Milan have improved more than any other team in Europe according to the Euro Club Index football ranking from Gracenote and Hypercube,” said the Gracenote report.
The Euro Club Index is based on results in competition over a four-year period, with an emphasis on recent results.
Teams win or lose rating points from opponents every time a match is played. The number of points won or lost depends on how far apart the two clubs are.
“AC Milan are the only team to have increased their Euro Club Index by over 500 points compared to this time last year,” added the Gracenote report. “Over the last year, AC Milan have improved their Euro Club Index the most, by 531 points from 2732 to 3263.”
It added: “Milan’s improvement means they have climbed from being the 47th best team in Europe a year ago to number 20 now.”