AS Roma vs AC Milan
AC Milan’s championship aspirations will be put on the line once again as they pay a visit to AS Roma this upcoming Sunday.
The former Serie A leaders want a quick recovery as they were overtaken by Inter Milan in recent weeks. And a victory against a strong club will not only give them the much-needed points, but also a major confidence boost as well.
The Stefano Pioli-coached would surely need that as they were beaten badly by their rivals last week, and now they are on a midst of a two-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, AS Roma believe that they can improve their form despite doing decent lately.
They have moved up to the fourth spot after going undefeated in four of their last five. But with the fifth-seeded Atalanta favoured to win over Sampdoria, AS Roma are in danger to lose their hold on the final Champions League spot.
The SBOTOP betting odds slightly favour the home side given their home record against their visitors in recent years.
But can they extend their dominant run at home over the Rossoneri? Or will the visitors re-assert their title credentials with a crucial win on this one?
Talking Points
AS Roma have to win by committee
Luck is not on the side for Paulo Fonseca’s group as they were bitten badly by the injury bug.
According to Sky Italia’s latest report, AS Roma will potentially miss up to four of their key players in this mouthwatering affair.
One of them will be Edin Dzeko, who has been an influential part of their attack. The Bosnian international suffered an adductor strain during their Europa League tiff against Braga. And given his advancing age, he is expected to be out for at least two weeks.
Fonseca will likely to feature Borja Mayoral as their main striker, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Stephan El Shaarawy are nearby to give attacking support in the starting XI.
Mayoral will definitely play a big role for AS Roma this Sunday. The Real Madrid loanee earned his minutes after being an understudy behind Edin Dzeko, and he has already punched in 11 goals and three assists this term.
Furthermore, defenders will be at a premium for AS Roma as Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez, and Marash Kumbulla have yet to claim a clean bill of health.
With all of them out, Bryan Cristante, Federico Fazio, and Gianluca Mancini are all tasked to marshal their backline out of necessity.
AC Milan’s tough juggling act
Besides their faltering hopes in Serie A, AC Milan would also have to worry about their ongoing Europa League campaign.
The Rossoneri are slated to clash with Manchester United next in what should be a spicy affair since Zlatan Ibrahimovic is all too familiar with the Red Devils.
But that fixture will happen in 13 days from now, so the focus should be here first on domestic matters.
AC Milan have lost back-to-back games against Inter Milan and Spezia, with the latter being the more surprising one.
Perhaps fatigue is getting into Stefano Pioli’s men, but so are the other contenders here in Serie A.
Pioli made six changes to his lineup in their previous match against Red Star and he is likely to revert back to his derby lineup since most of them were rested.
The onus is on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s broad shoulders to deliver the goals and Serie A 2021 highlights, but he will need great performances from Rafael Leao, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Franck Kessie in order to bust out of their slump.
History
The Giallorossi have had the better of the Rossoneri in their last 10 encounters together.
In the said span, AS Roma have won in five, while AC Milan won three along with two draws.
One of the two draws came in the reverse fixture earlier this season, as the two fought in a six-goal thriller over at the San Siro Stadium.
Betting Tip
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AS Roma vs AC Milan | AC Milan Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.21 |
| March 1, 03:45 (GMT+8) |
For this contest, the Serie A 2021 odds slightly back the hosts to come away with a victory.
AS Roma are pegged to win at 2.38, whereas AC Milan are close at 2.94 and a draw is at 3.25 based on the 1×2 market readings.
Form favours the Giallorossi which is why they are backed to win, although via a small margin. And they will give the Rossoneri all they can handle for this weekend’s match.
However, it would be hard to count out Zlatan Ibrahimovic and co. given on what they’ve achieved so far this season.
Add that along with AS Roma’s frailties at the back, I have no doubt that AC Milan will get back on their feet sooner or later.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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