Smart Acca Picks: AC Milan vs Torino Could be One to Watch

Runaway HNL League leaders Dinamo Zagreb goes up against Istra 1961 as they look to extend their eight-point gap to Hajduk Split.

Two of Zagreb’s last three league matches have resulted in 1-1 and 0-0 draws with Slaven Koprivnice and HNK Gorica on either side of a 2-1 win against Lokomotiva Zagreb. Prior to this, they had thrashed 7-2 by Rijeka and Sibenik 3-0.

Istra’s last two matches have seen them earn notable victories against Varazdin 2-1 and Hadjuk Split 3-0. Before this, they had drawn 0-0 with Koprivnica and lost 2-0 to Lokomotiva Zagreb after a 1-0 victory against Gorica.

Second in the table AZ Alkmaar hosts 14th-place Excelsior in the Dutch Eredivisie on Friday night.

AZ have drawn their last two matches with Volendam 1-1 and Utrecht 5-5 following 4-1, 3-1 and 2-0 victories over Go Ahead Eagles, Fortuna Sittard and Heerenveen. At present, they are just two points behind league leaders Feyenoord.

Excelsior’s 0-0 draw with RKC Waalwijk ended a two-game losing streak after 4-1 and 1-0 losses to Ajax and Utrecht. Before this, Excelsior beat Volendam 2-0 after a 1-0 away defeat to Sparta Rotterdam.

Serie A champions AC Milan takes on Torino at the San Siro, with Stefano Pioli’s men desperate to get back to winning ways.

AC enters this fixture off the back of three losses in a row to Inter Milan 1-0, Sassuolo 5-2 and Lazio 4-0. Prior to this, they had drawn 2-2 with Lecce. Their last win came back on 4th January away at Salernitana as goals from Rafael Leao and Sandro Tonali gave them a 2-1 victory.

Torino are eight points behind Milan in seventh place and have shown inconsistencies of late, managing two 1-0 wins over Udinese and Fiorentina, as well as losing to the latter 2-1 in the Coppa Italia, on top of a 2-2 draw with Empoli and a 1-0 home loss to Spezia.

Two Belgian Pro League heavyweights meet on Friday as Club Brugge hosts Union Saint-Gilloise at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

Club Brugge, who are managed by Scott Parker have drawn four of their last five matches, doing so with Anderlecht and Sint-Truiden 1-1, as well as with Sporting Charleroi 2-2 and Royal Antwerp 0-0 on either side of a 2-1 win away at Zulte Waregem thanks to goals from Noa Lang and Hans Vanaken.

Meanwhile, Union Saint-Gilloise have won four of their last five matches, beating Zulte Waregem 4-0, as well as both Sporting Charleroi and OH Leuven by 1-0 scorelines and Royal Antwerp 2-0. The only blot on their copybook is the 1-1 draw they managed away at Cercle Brugge as Gustav Nilsson scored a late equaliser.

The final game on this list comes from the Scottish Cup where bottom of the Scottish Championship Hamilton Academical takes on Premiership high-fliers Hearts.

Since their 1-0 loss to Ayr United, Hamilton’s form has picked up, beating Greenock Morton and Patrick Thistle 1-0 on either side of a penalty shootout win over Ross County in the last round of the cup, following a 0-0 draw. Last time out, Hamilton were held to a 1-1 draw with Dundee.

Hearts are in decent form, having bounced back to winning ways with a 3-1 win over Dundee United after a 3-0 loss to Rangers and a 0-0 draw with Livingston. Prior to these fixtures, the Jam Tarts had beaten Hibernian 3-0 and Aberdeen 5-0.

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