Milan travel to the capital this weekend for a Serie A clash against Roma in a bid to mount the pressure on league leaders Inter.
After losing 1-0 to Atalanta in their first Serie A fixture of the new year,
Roma have registered three consecutive wins without conceding a single goal. With victories over Lecce, Sassuolo and Torino, the Giallorossi managed to keep their faint Scudetto hopes alive, and that could be buried for good if they do not collect any points from Milan. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men featured well in the Europa League against Stutgart midweek. Niccolo Pissili found the net twice to steer Roma to sixth in the league phase standings.
Roma will be without the likes of Mario Hermoso, Artem Dovbyk and Stephen El-Shaarawy due to injuries. Donyell Malen could get a start alongside Paulo Dybala upfront.
Meanwhile, Milan will aim for a reversal of fortune from last time out at the Stadio Olimpico, where they lost 3-1 last May. While the Rossoneri sealed a 1-0 victory over Roma in the home fixture this season, they now have a chance to do the double over their opponents.
Two consecutive draws to Genoa and Fiorentina in January slowed Milan’s momentum and handed their neighbourhood rivals Inter some breathing space in the Scudetto race. However, a spirited 3-1 comeback win against Como restored their title charge while manager Massimiliano Allegri continued to water down his team’s objective to a top-four finish. With a win this weekend, Il Diavolo could cut the Nerazzurri’s lead at the top to just three points.
Here are the predicted line-ups for the match:
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Dybala; Malen.
Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.
