Roma vs AC Milan

Stadio Olimpico is the venue as Roma and AC Milan go head-to-head in a blockbuster Serie A showdown.

A run of two straight Serie A matches without scoring (D1, L1) had threatened to kick Roma out of the title race in the early season, but a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Cagliari in midweek restored those hopes. However, the ‘Giallorossi’ already trail joint-leaders Milan by nine points, a gap that could expand even further here, at least based on Roma’s disastrous overall H2H record against this opposition (W45, D51, L76). Despite their form wobble and underwhelming H2H indications, Jose Mourinho’s side can fall back on their eye-catching home displays this term (W4, D1). There’s another good omen for the hosts, who have eventually claimed a top-three finish in each of the last nine Serie A seasons in which they racked up six victories after the opening ten rounds.

On the other hand, Milan have hit the ground running in Serie A since the opening weekend, as they welcome this round as joint-league leaders alongside Napoli (W9, D1). Unlike some previous years, the ‘Rossoneri’ have already demonstrated they can thrive in tight contests, with three of their four Serie A away victories this term yielding a single-goal margin. After winning this exact fixture 2-1 back last season, Milan will be looking to register back-to-back Serie A triumphs at the Stadio Olimpico for the first time since 2005. Stefano Pioli’s men have been ruthless after taking the lead this season, having won all eight top-flight fixtures in which they broke the deadlock to date. Milan’s title credentials could be on the test here as they seek their first Serie A crown in over a decade.