AC Milan vs Roma prediction, preview, team news and more | Serie A 2020-21
Serie A table-toppers AC Milan welcome AS Roma to the San Siro in a blockbuster round five clash.
The Giallorossi are already five points behind league leaders Milan just four games into the season and will aim to not fall further behind.
Milan are the only club left in Europe's top five leagues with a perfect 100% record so far, but they were close to losing it against Inter in the Derby della Madonnina.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's early brace was swiftly countered by Romelu Lukaku reducing the deficit to a single goal within the first 30 minutes. Inter spurned chance after chance for the next hour as AC Milan eventually scraped through with all three points.
Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli only made a few changes to his lineup against Celtic in the UEFA Europa League, but they were the ones to shine, with Rade Krunic, Brahim Diaz and Jens Petter Hauge all getting on the scoresheet in a comfortable 3-1 win.
AS Roma followed their flattering 5-2 win over Benevento by nearly coming undone against BSC Young Boys in their UEFA Europa League clash. Jean Pierre Nsame's 14th-minute penalty looked all set to be the winner with Roma barely troubling their opponents.
However, substitutes Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan proved crucial, setting up Bruno Peres and Marash Kumbulla respectively for two goals in five minutes as Roma ran out 2-1 winners in Switzerland.
AC Milan vs Roma Head-to-Head
Roma have a slight edge over Milan in recent times, winning five out of the last 10 games in this fixture. The Rossoneri have managed three wins of their own, with two draws occurring in the same time-frame.
Milan were triumphant the last time these two sides met, with Ante Rebic and Hakan Calhanoglu scoring late to earn a 2-0 win at the San Siro in June of this year.
AC Milan form guide: W-W-W-W-W
AS Roma form guide: L-D-W-W-W
AC Milan vs Roma Team News
Stefano Pioli is still without Hakan Calhanoglu as he's recovering from an ankle problem sustained in the derby against Inter. Matteo Gabbia continues to recover from the coronavirus, while Ante Rebic will not return until November at the very earliest.
Having rotated his side against Celtic, Pioli is likely to stick with the same lineup that started against Inter, with Brahim Diaz set to replace the injured Calhanoglu. Sandro Tonali played the full 90 against Celtic and may be replaced by Ismael Bennacer.
Injuries: Ante Rebic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Matteo Gabbia, Leo Duarte, Mateo Musacchio
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Paulo Fonseca has fresh COVID-19 problems to deal with, as centre-back Gianluca Mancini tested positive and joins Amadou Diawara and Riccardo Calafiori in isolation. Chris Smalling is yet to recover from a sprain and with Federico Fazio having played the entirety of the game against BSC Young Boys, Juan Jesus may be looking at a rare start in defence.
Carles Perez and Bruno Perez impressed in Switzerland but, given that Fonseca has a fairly settled formation, they're unlikely to start, with Mkhitaryan and Davide Santon expected to feature from the start.
Injuries: Nicolo Zaniolo, Javier Pastore, Chris Smalling, Amadou Diawara, Riccardo Calafiori, Gianluca Mancini
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
AC Milan vs Roma Predicted Lineups
AC Milan Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK); Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Alessio Romagnoli, Theo Hernandez; Ismael Bennacer, Frank Kessie; Alexis Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Zlatan Ibrahimovic
AS Roma (3-4-2-1): Antonio Mirante (GK); Roger Ibanez, Marash Kumbulla, Juan Jesus; Davide Santon, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Jordan Veretout, Leonardo Spinazzola; Pedro Rodriguez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Edin Dzeko
AC Milan vs Roma Prediction
Milan's winning streak has had it's fair share of luck, but the underrated Stefano Pioli may claim that his team makes their own luck. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rafael Leao have been in fine form of late, and with Roma's backline struggling with enforced changes, the pair could capitalize.
In Pedro, Mkhitaryan and Dzeko, Roma have great firepower of their own, so it would be unwise to count them out.
We can expect a high-scoring game, with Milan's perfect record likely to come to an end as the teams share the spoils.
Prediction: AC Milan 2-2 AS Roma