AC Milan and Roma will face off against each other at San Siro in January for the third year in a row, with both sides under pressure to get a positive result amid recent struggles.
Stefano Pioli and Jose Mourinho each continue to face increasing speculation regarding their future, especially after midweek losses in the Coppa Italia against Atalanta and Lazio respectively, which saw trophy targets vanish.
The game tonight will be influenced by the key battles that will take place across the field. Pioli called on his side to improve defensively, and tonight they face Romelu Lukaku who has scored in each of the four games he has started against Milan in Serie A.
He might not have the injured Paulo Dybala next to him, but it will still be a very tough examination for Matteo Gabbia. He got the nod against Atalanta on Wednesday but came off bloodied after a collision, while this will be his first league start since returning from his loan at Villarreal.
At the other end, Olivier Giroud – who scored a penalty in the reverse game – has netted nine goals in the current league season. The last Milan player to score at least 10 goals in three Serie A campaigns in a row was Alexandre Pato, yet the Frenchman hasn’t scored at home in the league since August.
At the moment it is likely to be Gianluca Mancini who anchors the middle of Roma’s three-man defence. He has regularly been tasked with keeping Leao quiet, but given the selection issues Mourinho faces he will have to be up for a more physical battle.
Moving to the midfield, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is seemingly likely to play a more advanced role once again. He has alternated impressive performances with anonymous ones since his return from injury, which hopefully means he is due a good one tonight after disappointing in midweek.
On the other side, Leandro Paredes is the man who will be tasked with playing a holding role in the midfield three for the Giallorossi. The 29-year-old was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup and he has played 26 times for the capital club this season, showing the trust Mourinho has.
The left flank will feature the interesting showdown between Theo Hernandez and Mehmet Zeki Celik. The former is expected to move back to the flank after a spell at centre-back, and his combination play with Leao on Wednesday hints that the TGV is ready to be unleashed again.
Meanwhile, the Turkey international has only played eight times in the league this season and is without a goal contribution. He functions as more of a wing-back and will be asked to put in quality deliveries for the front two to attack, so Theo will have to balance his duties well.
Finally, we end with another midfield duel between two seemingly ever-presents in the Milan and Roma sides: Tijjani Reijnders and Bryan Cristante. The former has started all but one game this season, and how he performs seems to be directly linked to how the team click.
The Dutchman will play in a double pivot as per reports, so he will have to try and build from the back alongside Yacine Adli but also watch out for Cristante’s forward runs.
