AC Milan and AS Roma take on each other in what could be a six-pointer for the top four slots in Serie A.
AC Milan and AS Roma both suffered heartbreaks in their Coppa Italia quarter-final clashes against Atalanta BC and SS Lazio, respectively. They will aim to put that aside for what should be a cracking contest with implications on the race for a top-four finish this season.
Milan are currently in the third spot and have a reasonable stranglehold on the position. Roma, meanwhile have been in freefall of late and keep plummeting down the table. Jose Mourinho’s men have won just one of their last five Serie A games and are now in the eighth position, heading into this weekend’s fixtures.
In fact, Roma are closer to the foot of the table than the summit, which is not a statistic that the manager will be proud of. Defeating Milan at San Siro has been a rarity for I Giallorossi of late, and ending that hoodoo will certainly be a rallying point for them to get the season back on track.
Mourinho is a manager who divides opinion. But then his highs have been as steep as his lows, and it remains to be seen if the worst is playing out in the Italian capital. He can expect no mercy from Milan, another side showing signs of inconsistency this season.
The Rossoneri are more or less out of the reckoning for the title and will seek to consolidate their position in the top four. There is still much to play for, and the least Stefano Pioli will expect of his players is to be unbeatable at home.
There will be no love lost between these teams, and it should prove to be a hard-fought contest between Italian football’s two sharp minds. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
Apart from inconsistency, injuries have also played a huge role in Milan’s struggles this season. This is particularly true in the case of their defence, where Malick Thiaw, Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori still remain on the sidelines.
Alessandro Florenzi is a doubt for the game, while Tomasso Pobega is ruled out as well. Samuel Chukwueze and Ismael Bennacer are both at the Africa Cup of Nations and are unavailable for selection.
Stefano Pioli is expected to go in with a 4-2-3-1 formation to combat Roma’s numbers in the middle of the park. With the visitors expected to field a back three, Pioli will hope that Pulisic and Leao will find some joy down the wings.
Mike Maignan should start in goal behind the back four of Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez and Alex Jimenez. The Real Madrid loanee will be hoping to make an impact and stake a claim for regular football in the weeks to come.
Tijjani Reijnders and Yacine Adli will hold the fort against the Roma central midfield, paving the way for Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to push forward. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud should return to the lineup ahead of Luka Jovic and will be keen to start firing in goals again.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Hernandez, Jimenez; Reijnders, Adli; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud
AS Roma
AS Roma have also been beset by injuries and will be without a host of players. Tammy Abraham, Chris Smalling, Houssem Aouar, Paulo Dybala and Renato Sanches are all unavailable, giving Jose Mourinho a selection headache.
To add to his troubles, Diego Llorente is also a doubt for the game, while Evan Ndicka is currently at the AFCON. Serdar Azmoun has also left for the AFC Asian Cup following his antics against Lazio in the Coppa Italia.
Rui Patrício should start in goal behind the back three of Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante and Diego Llorente. Rasmus Kristensen and Nicola Zalewski should start as the wing-backs for Roma. The duo will be tasked with keeping the Milan wingers quiet and dropping deep when not in possession.
Leandro Paredes should start at the foot of the Roma midfield, with Edoardo Bove and Lorenzo Pellegrini in support. With Dybala out, the brunt of the goalscoring will fall on Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has found the back of the net against AC Milan in all four Serie A starts against them and will hope to keep that run going.
Andrea Belotti has not quite hit the mark at Roma and will partner Lukaku on the night ahead of former Milan man Stephen El-Shaarawy.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Patricio; Mancini, Cristante, Llorente; Kristensen, Pellegrini, Paredes, Bove, Zalewski; Belotti, Lukaku
Key Stats
- AS Roma have failed to defeat AC Milan in the league since 2019, a run of eight matches.
- AS Roma have not defeated AC Milan at the San Siro since 2017, with the home side unbeaten in the last five in a row.
- The last seven matches between these two teams have seen both sides score.
- Only Inter Milan and Juventus have picked up more points than AC Milan over the last seven matchday in Serie A.
- A loss on the night will see AS Roma lose three Serie A away games in a row for the first time since 2021.
- Should Roma lose without scoring, it will be the first time since 2005 that they have lost three consecutive away games in the league without scoring.
Player to Watch
Olivier Giroud
Despite his age, Giroud remains AC Milan’s go-to man in the striking department. Should he find the back of the net on the night, he will become the Rossoneri player since Alexandre Pato to score ten or more goals in three consecutive league campaigns.
Roma are likely to get stuck in, and Jose Mourinho’s men are not afraid to throw any punches. Giroud’s experience and clinical ability in the box could prove to be a deciding factor in terms of making the Milan frontline tick. The wily old fox still has it in him, and it will not come as a surprise should he decide the tie on the night.
Prediction
AC Milan 1-1 AS Roma
Both teams are unlikely to hold back on the night and should get stuck in from the kick-off whistle. It promises to be a hard-fought contest between two teams keen to put their midweek heartbreak in the past. The plethora of missing players on both sides will certainly impact both teams adversely but we can expect a close-fought contest that is likely to end in a tie.
