One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures in the Serie A calendar unfolds on Sunday as Milan and Roma go head-to-head at San Siro. With both sides coming into proceedings after crashing out of the Coppa Italia, pressure is on both managers to deliver in league action.
Milan had to swallow the bitter pill of a gut-wrenching Coppa Italia quarter-final exit at the hands of Atalanta. Despite taking the lead on the stroke of halftime through Rafael Leao, Stefano Pioli’s side finished on the received end of a 2-1 scoreline, courtesy of Teun Koopmeiners’ match-winning brace.
After being denied a chance to fight for their first Coppa Italia trophy since 2003, Milan return to Serie A action pressured to whittle down a staggering 12-point distance on pacesetters Inter. Anything other than three points would probably rule Rossoneri out of the Scudetto picture and possibly spell the end of Pioli’s tenure in Lombardy.
Bologna boss Thiago Motta has emerged as the likeliest candidate to fill Pioli’s shoes. However, Jose Mourinho’s future at Roma is also in the balance after a fourth consecutive scoring blank against Lazio in midweek Coppa Italia action condemned Giallorossi to a frustrating 1-0 loss to arch-rivals.
With one domestic title in the rear-view mirror and Inter 22 points off, Roma may start considering the Europa League as their only chance of salvaging another disastrous season. But a first top-four finish since 2017/18 remains on the cards as they trail fourth-placed Fiorentina by only four points.
Match Preview
Milan
Since a late 3-2 defeat at Atalanta in early December, Milan have hit the ground running in Serie A, racking up three wins in their last four outings (D1). Their league resurgence has helped them build a healthy seven-point lead on fifth-placed Bologna and maintain faint hopes of clinching a 20th Scudetto.
Milan fans would be forgiven for expecting nothing less than another triumph, considering Pioli’s troops have won four successive home league outings in the build-up to this encounter. Roma’s visit bodes well for Rossoneri’s bid to make it five wins in a row, as they’ve gone unbeaten in the last five meetings between the sides on home turf (W3, D3).
But with each of the last Serie A clashes between Milan and Roma seeing both teams on the scoresheet, this contest could still go either way.
Roma
Roma will unlikely be fazed by Milan’s imperious home form after finding the back of the net on 18 of their last 20 visits to San Siro. What’s more, Giallorossi avoided defeat on 13 occasions during that sequence (W7, D6, L7), boosting Mourinho’s confidence about ending a three-game scoring drought in away action (l3).
Yet, Mourinho won’t be in the dugout following his second expulsion of 2023/24 during a heated 1-1 draw against Atalanta last weekend. Roma will try to defy their disappointing away league form in the Special One’s absence, seeking only their third Serie A win outside the Stadio Olimpico this term (W2, D2, L5).
Worryingly for the Giallorossi faithful, only three Serie A teams have registered more scoring blanks on the road than Roma’s four so far.
Team News
A defensive emergency in the Milan camp has yet to subside, with Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu, and Malick Thiaw still in the treatment room. Matteo Gabbia should recover from a nasty clash with Marten De Roon, but Alessandro Florenzi may not be as lucky.
Ismael Bennacer and Samuel Chukuweze are away on international duty, though there’s an outside chance for Tommaso Pobega to make the bench.
On the other hand, Roma take this trip without long-term absentees Chris Smalling, Tammy Abraham, Marash Kumbulla, and Renato Sanches. Houssem Aouar, Evan Ndicka, and Sardar Azmoun are already with their national teams.
But Paulo Dybala’s absence remains the main source of Mourinho’s headache.
Milan vs Roma Potential Lineups
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez, Alejandro Jimenez; Tijjani Reijnders, Yacine Adli; Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Roma (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante, Diego Llorente; Rasmus Kristensen, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Leandro Paredes, Edoardo Bove, Nicola Zalewski; Andrea Belotti, Romelu Lukaku.
Milan vs Roma Prediction
Though neither manager can rely upon their best XIs, Milan boss Pioli seems far better positioned to win the battle of the two beleaguered veterans. We back Rossoneri to take advantage of Roma’s travel sickness and preserve a pipe dream of catching up with Inter.
Prediction: Milan Win
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