AC Milan have a tricky task against Roma on Sunday as they look to crank up the pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli. Roma are always a dangerous side but having been erratic throughout the campaign, Milan will fancy their chances of claiming the upper hand at home.
AC Milan returned from the international break with a 2-1 victory at Salernitana in their previous Serie A fixture. They raced to a two goal lead through Rafael Leao and Sandro Tonali and were able to hold on despite the hosts pulling one back late in the contest.
It has not been a particularly smooth title defence for AC Milan but they remain second on the table, five points off the pace. Napoli’s defeat to Inter Milan in midweek would have given Stefano Pioli renewed hope of chasing down the leaders and the manager will be keen to crank up the pressure.
The win at Salernitana is a continuation of AC Milan’s form before the World Cup as they have now won seven of their last nine Serie A matches. They are also on a four match winning run at the San Siro but have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last three.
It has been a stop-start campaign for Roma, who will be looking to be a bit more consistent in the second half of the season. They are currently sixth on the table but remain in the mix for a Champions League finish, three points behind Inter Milan.
The Giallorossi returned to action in midweek with a 1-0 victory over Bologna in a Serie A fixture. Lorenzo Pellegrini’s early penalty proved to be the difference as they ended a run of three straight Serie A matches without a win.
One positive for Roma is that they have surprisingly done some of their best work on their travels lately. Jose Mourinho’s men have won four of their last five away matches but have kept just one clean sheet in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have AC Milan as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 8/9 by SBK. A victory for Roma is valued at 3/1 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 27/10 for a draw.
Head to head
AC Milan are unbeaten in the last five matches against Roma, claiming four wins in that run. The Rossoneri did the double over the visitors last season with the clash at San Siro ending in a 3-1 victory.
Players to watch
Rafael Leao appears to have picked up where he left off last season and has scored seven Serie A goals for AC Milan this term. The attacker was also on target in this fixture last season and is priced at 12/5 by Paddy Power to get on the score sheet once again.
Lorenzo Pellegrini is often involved in much of Roma’s attacking play, either scoring or assisting. The attacker was on target last time out against Bologna and is priced at 6/1 by bet365 to find the net on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last meeting between AC Milan and Roma produced over 3.5 goals and a repeat is priced at 14/5 with BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 21/20 by 10bet while both teams could be backed to score at 19/20 with bet365.
AC Milan have scored in both halves in the last four meetings with Roma and bet365 is offering 2/1 for a similar outcome on Sunday.
This Serie A match between AC Milan and Roma will be played on Jan 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best AC Milan vs Roma prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
