Roma vs AC Milan

Stadio Olimpico forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Serie A showdown between long-standing rivals Roma and AC Milan.

Jose Mourinho’s ten-day touchline debut is up as the Portuguese manager returns to action to help Roma find a way out of trouble after going winless in their opening two Serie A matches (D1, L1). Following a goal-glutted 2-2 home draw against Salernitana on day one, ‘I Giallorossi’ slumped to a 2-1 loss to 10-man Hellas Verona last weekend. Losing standout forward Paulo Dybala to a thigh problem added insult to injury. But Romelu Lukaku’s loan arrival from Chelsea should help address Roma’s long-term scoring problems at the Olimpico. Mourinho’s side netted only Serie A’s 10th-high 28 home goals last season, though it’s worth noting they’ve been on the scoresheet in 20 of their 21 previous outings in the capital. That could inspire Roma’s bid to post their first league win over Milan since 2019.

In stark contrast to Roma’s stuttering league start, new-look Milan couldn’t have hoped for a more promising entry, dispatching Bologna and Torino by a combined score of 6-1 in the first two rounds. USMNT winger Christian Pulisic ran the show on both occasions, becoming only the fourth player in ‘I Rossoneri’ history to score in his first two Serie A appearances. Delivering action from the get-go, Stefano Pioli’s men opened the scoring before half-time in both wins. However, last season’s league encounters between Milan and Roma featured dramatic finishes, with stoppage-time equalizers settling both scoring H2H draws in 2022/23. Those stalemates form part of Milan’s impressive seven-game unbeaten streak against Roma in Serie A (W4, D3). On top of that, they netted 2+ goals on six occasions.