Filippo Galli does not draw the parallel lightly. When he does so, it comes buttressed by caution and littered with caveats. His wariness is understandable. More than most, he knows the power of the past at A.C. Milan.

As a player, Galli was part of the club’s greatest team, alongside Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and the rest. Thirty years later, as director of Milan’s youth system, he has helped nurture the generation that some feel — and many hope — might follow in their footsteps.

He knows comparing the teams is dangerous, invoking expectations and bringing pressure. That he is prepared to do it anyway is telling.

“There are similarities,” he said, “between now and where Milan was in the mid-1980s.”

The reason for his optimism is obvious. On Saturday, Milan beat all-conquering Juventus at San Siro. The game’s only goal was scored by Manuel Locatelli, an 18-year-old midfielder who has made only eight appearances in Serie A. In the 96th minute, Gianluigi Donnarumma, a 17-year-old goalkeeper heralded as Italy’s heir to Gianluigi Buffon, produced a flying save to deny Juventus an equalizer.