Roma vs AC Milan: Top four clash in store in the Eternal City
A top four clash awaits as Roma and AC Milan prepare to lock horns at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. The Giallorossi come into this tie sitting in fourth place, having successfully battled from a goal down to avoid what would have been an embarrassing loss to relegation-threatened Cagliari. It was exactly the result they desperately needed after a bad patch which has seen them lose in the Derby della Capitale, to Juventus, and arguably the nadir of the season so far – a 6-1 humiliation to Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League.
As such, a defeat to Cagliari would have certainly brought its fairs share of troubles for Jose Mourinho, who stated off so brightly with the Lupi but has seen them hit a major bump in the road. Goals from Roger Ibanez and a brilliant free kick from skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini were enough to give the visiting side all three points and ensure they moved back into the Champions League spots ahead of this match.
Roma, nonetheless, are the first team to nick points off Napoli this season, successfully holding the high-flying Partenopei to a scoreless draw last time out, and now, they’ll turn their attention towards another high-flier: Milan. The Rossoneri may have their issues in the Champions League, where they’ve lost all three opening matches for the first time in club history, but certainly aren’t having any problems on the domestic front. Like Napoli, they’ve yet to lose a game, and so far, have posted nine wins and a draw.
Stefano Pioli’s men come into this contest on a six game winning streak in the league, and that includes a gritty 1-0 win over a stubborn Torino midweek. Olivier Giroud, who’s been a real revelation since arriving from Chelsea this summer, was the deciding factor, and with the highly-anticipated Derby della Madonnina coming up next round, Milan will want to head into that contest with as wide a margin between themselves and bitter cross-town rivals as possible.
Remember, Milan were on top of the table until the halfway point last season, until a January loss to Juventus sent everything crashing down. The Rossoneri would eventually be pipped to the Scudetto by Inter by a huge gap, but this season, they’re sitting seven points ahead of the Nerazzurri, and 13 ahead of Juventus. They’ll surely be fancying their chances against Roma, as the Diavolo have lost just one of their last seven clashes against the Lupi since Stefano Pioli took over and notably won this same game 2-1 last season.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic also has a knack for scoring against Roma, with ten goals so far in his long-standing career. The Swedish ace, who turned 40 at the start of this month, is also looking forward to scoring what would be his 400th goal as a professional; his first was 22 years ago back in October 1999.
Will Milan pick up a seventh straight league win to keep pace with Napoli at the top of the table? Or will Roma throw a wrench in their plans and end their own frustrating hoodoo against the Diavolo in the Eternal City?
