AC Milan is set to face AS Roma who are led by the experienced tactician José Mourinho. The red and black side of the Milan city is sitting at the top of the table with 28 points.
The first position is shared with Napoli. Stefano Pioli's men, however, will take the field after knowing the result of Salernitana against Spalletti's team. The Rossoneri, whether the Partenopei squad wins or drops points, will be under pressure to keep up their form and stay at the top. But, if we know anything about this Milan side, it is that the players have the mental strength and qualities to stay focused.
It will definitely be a strong challenge at the Olimpico stadium against Roma who are undefeated at home. After an away humiliating loss aganst Bodo/Glimt 6-1, the Giallorossi, at home, managed to snatch a draw in a tough contest against Napoli. Then, they went on to win against Cagliari 1-2. They are sitting in the fourth position in the league standings with 19 points.
Milan, on the other hand, are undefeated in the league. The club boasts a record, this season, of 9 wins and 1 draw, just like Napoli. The latest AC Milan fixture in the Serie A was against Torino as Olivier Giroud managed to grab the winner early during the game.
This fixture will not be easy at all, the hosts will be focused and as their Portuguese boss said in the press conference yesterday, "I like playing against the best teams."
Mourinho uses the 4-2-3-1 formation with Roma but he always relies on the creativity and flexibility of his players. During the match, his team shifts the module depending on the type of opponents and the game they play.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an important player for Roma, but he has not been excellent lately for his team and that is why he may be dropped. Instead, Stephan El Shaarawy may get the nod to start. Mourinho will be relying on the physicality of Jordan Veretout to recover the balls and then pass it quickly to his teammates as Roma like to play with pace when an opportunity presents itself.
As for AC Milan, Stefano Pioli can finally count on the return of a very important piece in his system: Brahim Diaz. The Spanish attacking midfielder is tipped to start as the playmaker instead of Rade Krunic. The former Manchester City and Real Madrid player likes to take the ball from midfield and drive it forward with speed, agility and his ability to dribble past defenders while the striker, Ibrahimovic or Giroud tries to find space or create it for the wingers who like to get inside the box and attack the depth.
Theo Hernandez, another Milan star, is ready to take the field from the start after playing for 45 minutes against Torino in the previous fixture. Il Diavolo team missed his qualities dearly. The French full-back will have to be on top of his form in order to perform his usual sprints from the defence to the the other side of the pitch in an effort to create numerical superiority.
Fikayo Tomori will have to keep an eye on Tammy Abraham of Roma. The battle between the two former teammates at Chelsea will be fierce. The English striker has not scored for a month now, but his great physique and good sense of positioning make him a tricky player to mark.
The battle of midfield tonight should be between Franck Kessié and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The Ivorian defensive midfielder will have to be attentive to the movements of the Italian attacking midfielder who is capable of sending important passes to his teammates. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on the other hand, will try to impose himself against centre-backs Gianluca Mancini and Ibanez. The Swede will try to occupy an important area within Roma's defence and allow some space and freedom to his teammates at scoring chances against Roma.
Tactically, the game will be characterised with patience and focus as both Roma and Milan may wait until the other side makes a mistake and strike fast.
AS Roma's Mourinho is likely to start with this lineup as they continue to miss out on the services of Chris Smalling and Leonardo Spinazzola.
4-2-3-1: Rui Patricio; Karsdorp, G. Mancini, Ibañez, Viña; Cristante, Veretout; Zaniolo, Lorenzo Pellegrini, El Shaarawy; Abraham.
As for Milan, they are still missing many players such as Mike Maignan, Alessandro Florenzi, Ante Rebic, Junior Messias, Samu Castillejo and Pietro Pellegri. Here are the likely choices of coach Stefano Pioli:
