Serie A: AS Roma vs AC Milan live
Preview
Roma and defending champions AC Milan meet on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (GMT) at Stadio Olimpico with equal points and goal differential in the Serie A standings. Milan have drawn even in the table as a result of Roma’s slip-up against Atalanta the previous week, and both teams now need points to help them in their quest to qualify for the Champions League.
Following consecutive victories that kept Roma in an active role in the Serie A top-four race and allowed them to advance in Europe, a 3-1 loss to Atalanta on Monday allowed one of their close rivals to re-enter the race. With seven rounds remaining, Roma are currently ranked fifth, but they still control their own destiny because a win over Milan this week would move them ahead of their Rossoneri rivals. Roma have kept seven clean sheets in eight top-flight home games in 2023, which is the strongest mark among the top five leagues in Europe. In their most recent two Serie A games at Stadio Olimpico, they defeated Sampdoria and Udinese 3-0.
After a mid-season stutter, Scudetto-winning coach Stefano Pioli’s steady hand has grounded his young team. They have also kept a clean sheet in three of their last four league games. Their Achilles’ heel, though, has been their poor away performance, which largely explains why they are 22 points off the top spot in their title defence: Milan have lost four of their past seven Serie A road games, that is the same number as in their prior 54. However, Milan star, Rafael Leao is waking up after his post-World Cup slump, and after following up his eye-catching performance in the Champions League victory against Napoli with a brace last weekend, it appears that the Serie A MVP from last year is back in action.
Head-to-head
In their previous six meetings with AS Roma, AC Milan had four wins and two draws to their credit. Roma saved a point from their earlier matchup this season, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in January of this year, thanks to two late goals.
Prediction
Milan came close to defeating Roma at San Siro, but they ultimately had to settle for a draw, and the teams might tie again at the Olimpico. They are evenly matched this season and neck-and-neck in the Serie A standings; however, the hosts are typically difficult to defeat at home.
