AC Milan are ready to host AS Roma in an all-Italian Europa League quarter-final, with both managers looking for an advantage here.
Stefano Pioli could not have asked for a better time for AC Milan to play the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals against domestic rivals AS Roma, considering his team’s current form. The Rossoneri overcame Lecce at home with a 3-0 scoreline, making it seven straight wins for the first time since 2006.
Milan also strengthened their grip on the second spot in the Serie A standings, with Pioli now keen on his side to finish runners-up to rivals Inter Milan, who have a 14-point advantage at the top. They are now ready to host AS Roma in an all-Italian affair in the Europa League quarter-finals, with Milan likely to lean towards their good recent form against their opponents.
Milan have already beaten Roma twice this season in Serie A and have stayed unbeaten in nine games against their counterparts from the Italian capital. For Pioli, it is a test of character against mid-season appointment Daniele De Rossi, with a place in the semi-finals at stake for the two sides.
De Rossi has galvanised his Roma side since taking over from Jose Mourinho. The former club favourite has since engineered ten wins in his 15 games in charge, losing just twice. Roma are vying for a Champions League place and are part of the hunt for a top-four finish,
However, they have another route to the top-tier European competition: winning the Europa League, as De Rossi would want to complete the job Mourinho could not last year. Roma have developed a different pedigree in. European competition, having won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022 and reached the Europa League final last year, only lost against Sevilla.
While they have what it takes to go all the way, Milan stand between them and a semi-final berth, with Roma not having a favourable recent record against them. Despite reaching European finals in back-to-back seasons, the Giallorossi have managed only two victories on the road in 14 continental away games, with none in their last eight during a knockout phase.
Team News & Tactics
AC Milan
After suffering most of the season with many injured stars, Stefano Pioli’s problems have eased in the last month, as he made most of his players back available and fit. However, he will miss key defender Fikayo Tomori through a suspension for the Roma clash.
Tommaso Pobega and Pierre Kalulu are also unavailable due to injury issues. Matteo Gabbia and the experienced Simon Kjaer are well-positioned for the central defensive roles, with Davide Calabria not the preferred choice at right-back over Alessandro Florenzi.
Pioli will settle for the central midfield double-pivot of Yacine Adli and Tijjani Reijnders, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has entered double figures for goals this season, playing in the advanced attacking midfield role.
Pioli’s frontline will consist of his other double-figure stars: Christian Pulisic will be on the right and Rafael Leao on the left flank. Olivier Giroud, Milan’s top scorer with 15 goals this season, will lead the line against AS Roma.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Gabbia, Kjaer, Hernandez; Adli, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud
AS Roma
Daniele De Rossi, too, has a few critical stars missing from action. For Thursday’s encounter, he has to deal without key defender Evan Ndicka, who is suspended. Sardar Azmoun also misses out through an injury, and one of Marcos Llorente or Chris Smalling might replace Ndicka in the starting lineup.
Dean Huijsen and Rasmus Kristensen are also missing out as the duo was not named in the club’s squad list for the knockout stages. Beyond that, De Rossi will have the luxury of choosing from a large group of players and naming his best lineup suitable for a clash of such magnitude.
De Rossi will use the midfield trio of Leandro Paredes in the middle, with Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini tugging along on either side of the Argentine enforcer. The manager could also call upon some of his more experienced stars up front in the attacking third.
He will have ex-Milan star Stephan El Shaarawy, who has five assists in nine Europa League games this season, on the left wing. Paulo Dybala will certainly start on the right side of the front three, with Romelu Lukaku eager to prove a point against AC Milan leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Llorente, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy
Key Stats
- AC Milan have scored at least two goals in all their last six home matches against Roma.
- AC Milan have now scored at least once in their last 29 matches across all competitions.
- AC Milan are unbeaten in ten games at the San Siro ahead of AS Roma’s visit.
- AS Roma have won only two of their last 14 away matches in continental competition.
- AS Roma are winless against Milan in their last nine encounters.
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
Few of the players have a deep history coming into this clash, with Lukaku certainly one of them. He has some interesting statistics against AC Milan heading into this encounter, having scored in his first five games against the Rossoneri but failing to do so in the next five.
He can still make his loan spell at AS Roma a glowing success if he helps the team finish in the top four and takes them into a third consecutive European final. Having played for Inter Milan before, Lukaku will have an added motivation to perform well against AC Milan. And what better way to announce yourself than with a goal and a glowing performance at San Siro?
Prediction
AC Milan 2-1 AS Roma
AS Roma have a good enough squad to tackle any problems that come their way in the Europa League. But AC Milan will likely prove their biggest hurdle. Daniele De Rossi’s men are in good form, but they have essentially struggled in European away games, especially at San Siro, in recent years.
AC Milan are in better form than their capital counterparts, which could see Stefano Pioli and his men get the edge in this contest. Some of their forwards have also hit top form of late, and that will be imperative for them in their quest to get a narrow win over De Rossi’s men at San Siro on Thursday night.
