AC Milan vs Roma

Stadio San Siro forms the backdrop for a blockbuster Serie A showdown between top-four hopefuls AC Milan and out-of-sorts Roma.

Despite taking the lead right before halftime, Milan bowed out of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals in midweek, losing 2-1 at home to Atalanta. However, Stefano Pioli’s men have fared well in Serie A lately, going unbeaten in four consecutive matches (W3, D1) since a late 3-2 defeat at Atalanta in early December. On top of that, they’ve won their last four league outings at San Siro, increasing the likelihood of extending a five-match unbeaten home form against Roma (W3, D2). With pacesetters Inter Milan 12 points off, nothing less would do for ‘I Rossoneri,’ whose bid to lift a 20th Scudetto is in tatters. But with Milan’s last seven meetings with Roma seeing both sides on the scoresheet, this encounter could still go either way.

On the other hand, Roma’s disappointing 2023/24 campaign took another hit in midweek Coppa Italia action as a fourth successive scoring blank against arch-rivals Lazio condemned them to a narrow 1-0 quarter-final defeat. Without Jose Mourinho in the dugout after another expulsion in a 1-1 draw against Atalanta last weekend, ‘I Giallorossi’ will be out to address their long-standing travel sickness. The visitors have only won twice on their nine Serie A road trips (W2, D2, L5), with only three sides drawing a blank in more away matches than Roma’s four. However, they’ve been regular on the board against Milan, finding the net in 18 of their last 20 H2Hs at San Siro (W7, D6, L7).