AS Roma will welcome AC Milan to Stadio Olimpico on Friday in this season’s first blockbuster Serie A clash.
A struggling AS Roma will welcome early trend-setters AC Milan to Stadio Olimpico in the early kick-off this Friday night.
Both teams are coming off poor 2022/23 campaigns that saw them fall short of expectations. Roma failed to secure a top-four spot or win the Europa League, while Milan fumbled in their title defence and barely scraped into a Champions League spot.
The Rossoneri have added several names to their roster this summer and have won both of their opening games in the league so far. They are just one of four teams to have a hundred percent win rate in Serie A so far and are at the head of the queue thanks to goal difference.
Jose Mourinho’s men, meanwhile, began the campaign at home with a disappointing 2-2 draw against lowly Salernitana before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat vs Hellas Verona last weekend. Unless results pick up fast, the capital side could struggle to make a serious challenge for a top-four finish.
Roma have a slew of winnable games up after clashing with Milan, and it is in their best interests to secure a win and build up momentum. Milan, meanwhile, will face Inter Milan next week, making the clash against Roma all the more important.
The onus is on both Stefano Pioli and Mourinho to rebuild their sides. And it remains to be seen how well they achieve it this season. The former certainly has the early advantage, but the latter has a knack of bringing high flyers swiftly to the ground. It should prove to be an intriguing tactical battle. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might implement.
Team News & Tactics
AS Roma
Gearing up for Friday! 💪 #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/UYFhjGHLnZ
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 30, 2023
Jose Mourinho finds himself under early pressure this season following a poor start to the campaign. Unless he can steady the ship this weekend, AS Roma could find themselves adrift at sea in the race to land a top-four finish.
To add to the Portuguese tactician’s woes, he is dealing with injuries to several players. Tammy Abraham is out long-term and will be joined on the sidelines by Paulo Dybala, who picked up a knock last weekend against Hellas Verona.
Marash Kumbulla is also out for a long time, while summer signings Sardar Azmoun and Renato Sanches are also nursing knocks. It also remains to be seen if Nicola Zalewski has recovered from his concussion for the game.
Summer signing Romelu Lukaku is available, but his match fitness is patchy. So Mourinho should start with Andrea Bellotti on the night and bring Lukaku off the bench at some point in the game.
A 3-5-2 should once again be retained by Mourinho, with players being shuffled around to account for the absentees. Rui Patrício is expected to start in goal behind the back three of Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling and Diego Llorente.
Leonardo Spinazzola is likely to replace Zalewski in the left wing-back spot, with Rick Karsdorp on the other flank. Leandro Paredes should hold the fort in the midfield, giving Lorenzo Pellegrini and Houssem Aouar the freedom to push forward. An in-form Andrea Belotti should lead the line, with Stephan El Shaarawy in support.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Llorente, Smalling, Mancini; Spinazzola, Aouar, Paredes, Pellegrini, Karsdorp; El Shaarawy, Belotti
AC Milan
Stefano Pioli’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system was found out last season, and the Italian tactician, to his credit, has shifted tactics this season. One could argue it is a better fit to the squad at his disposal, following the loss of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United.
The AC Milan boss will be without star midfielder Ismael Bennacer, who will be on the sidelines until the international break thanks to a knee injury. While Samuel Chukwueze, Noah Okafor and Yunus Musah will all offer different options, Pioli is likely to retain his faith in the starting XI that won the first two games, bar a change or two.
Simon Kjaer could be expected to come in for Malick Thiaw, given his experience. The Dane’s ability to read the game and organise the backline will be handy against Jose Mourinho’s tactics on the night.
Hands up if you can't wait to see the boys in action again! 🙋♂️#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/aXj2mlD8lc
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 30, 2023
Mike Maignan is a shoo-in between the sticks and should be protected by a backline of Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Simon Kjaer and Davide Calabria. The trio of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rade Krunic and Tijjani Reijnders should provide the engine room in the middle of the park with Krunic in particular responsible for holding the fort.
How well he can do that will determine the ease with which his two midfield partners can get forward. Christian Pulisic is enjoying a new lease of life in Italy and should retain his spot on the right flank. Former Serie A MVP Rafael Leao will occupy the other flank, with Olivier Giroud leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Hernandez, Tomori, Kjaer, Calabria; Reijinders, Krunic, Loftus-Cheek; Leao, Giroud, Pulisic
Key Stats
- AC Milan have lost just one of their last 11 Serie A clashes with AS Roma. Their last defeat to the capital side came in 2019.
- AC Milan have won 30 away games against AS Roma in Serie A. No other team have defeated the Giallorossi more times at home.
- AC Milan is one of three Serie A teams that AS Roma are yet to defeat since Jose Mourinho took the reins at the Stadio Olimpico.
- Failure to win on the night will see AS Roma go into a Serie A campaign winless in their first three games for the first time since 2011/12.
- A win will see AC Milan kickstart their campaign with three victories in a row for the third time in the last four Serie A seasons.
Player to Watch
Christian Pulisic
Ciao Christian! 👋🇺🇸#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/c3b3v7wUmM
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 30, 2023
The USMNT international risked his career decaying at Chelsea but has made the right decision to rekindle it at AC Milan. The Rossoneri ace appears to have rediscovered his mojo and has scored in both of his Serie A outings so far this season. Pulisic is just the fifth AC Milan player in history to find the back of the net in his first two league games for the club. Elite company indeed.
Blessed with pace and intelligence, Pulisic is a difficult player to pin down, and a shaky AS Roma defence could struggle to contain him. With Rafal Leao a big threat on the other flank, Pulisic could find himself with enough opportunities to run into space and wreak havoc.
Prediction
AS Roma 1-2 AC Milan
AS Roma are likely to get stuck in and should call upon the ark arts against their more illustrious opponents. The momentum is with AC Milan going into the game, and Jose Mourinho will be keen to disrupt Pioli’s tactics from playing their usual game.
However, the visitors have better strength in depth and can shift tactics given the options in their roster. A close but fighting 2-1 win will add more credence to AC Milan as they aim to challenge for them Serie A title.
