Roma vs AC Milan

Stadio Olimpico forms the backdrop for the return leg of a blockbuster Europa League quarter-final tie between Roma and AC Milan, with the hosts boasting a slender 1-0 lead.

Gianluca Mancini’s first-half header inspired Roma to their first win at San Siro since 2017 last weekend and helped them arrest a dreadful nine-game winless H2H run (D3, L6). However, ‘I Giallorossi’ can’t afford to rest on their laurels if they’re to reach the Europa League semi-finals for the second season on the trot. Roma’s morale took a hit at the weekend as Evan Ndicka collapsed on the field, forcing the referee to interrupt their Serie A clash against Udinese. Across their last four complete games, Daniele De Rossi’s men have not conceded a single goal (W3, D1), with all three wins yielding an identical 1-0 scoreline. With only two of their last nine Europa League home outings seeing both teams on the scoresheet, another low-scoring affair could be in store.

On the other hand, Milan’s first scoring blank since November left no scars on Stefano Pioli’s side as they hauled back a two-goal deficit to hold Sassuolo to a 3-3 draw at the weekend. With just one failed attempt to score in 31 matches, ‘I Rossoneri’ will take this trip in high spirits, searching for their fifth win in their last six competitive away games (D1). Though beating Roma at the Olimpico is an arduous task, the visitors can draw confidence from racking up four triumphs across their seven away H2Hs (D2, L1) since their last scoreless appearance in the capital in December 2016. Moreover, they’ve only suffered one defeat across their six previous away European clashes versus fellow Italian rivals (W2, D3).