AC Milan’s recent fixture against Lecce was a disappointing result as the Rossoneri gave up the lead at the end of the game in injury time. The match featured the debut of manager Stefano Pioli. Milan played a good game under their new coach; however, they gave up the lead twice and were unable to leave with a victory.
Milan got goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Krzysztof Piatek, yet Lecce received goals from Khouma Babacar and Marco Calderoni which helped draw the match at 2-2. Pioli had an immediate effect on the team as players such as Rafael Leao and Calhanoglu had good games. Milan fans should be glad to see Calhanoglu have a good game under Pioli and will hope that the midfielder can build off his strong performance.
As for their opponent, A.S. Roma’s recent fixture resulted in a draw against Sampdoria. The match saw Sampdoria’s new manager Claudio Ranieri versus the team coached for last season. It was a modest match which took until the 80th minute to open up with chances on both ends of the field. Justin Kluivert was sent off for a red card at the 86th minute which created more space and opportunities to score, however, it didn’t have an effect on the result of the match.
Roma’s manager Paulo Fonseca was not on the sidelines in their recent match as he served a one game suspension which he received in their match against Cagliari. The manager will return to the sidelines for this upcoming fixture. This season, the club has been plagued by many injuries which seems as if the team had been cursed. Their recent match versus Sampdoria saw two more players go down with long term injuries. Bryan Cristante tore his abductor muscle, while Nikola Kalinic left the match with a fibula fracture.
Predicted Line-ups
Roma (4-2-3-1): Lopez – Kolarov, Spinazzola, Smalling, Mancini – Pastore, Veretout – Perotti, Florenzi, Zaniolo – Dzeko.
AC Milan (4-3-3): Donnarumma – Hernandez, Calabria, Musacchio, Romagnoli – Biglia, Paqueta, Kessie – Suso, Calhanoglu, Leao.
Injuries and suspended
Bryan Cristante (Out Indefinitely), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Out indefinitely), Nikola Kalinic (Out Indefinitely), Davide Zappacosta (Out Indefinitely), Amadou Diawara (Out Indefinitely)
Roma will also be without Justin Kluivert as he serves a one-game suspension.
Everyone but Giacomo Bonaventura is fit to play.
Key Clashes
Pioli will be managing his second game under Milan this season. The manager replaced Marco Giampaolo, who was a disappointment for the Rossoneri as the ex-manager delivered poor results for the club. In his debut for the team, Pioli had his team energized and much more composed and organized throughout the match. He was able to get his team to play strong and much more fundamental which was a pleasant surprise. Expect Pioli to continue in the right direction as the manager has been known to turn things around for clubs.
Calhanoglu will come off his best performance of the season. The midfielder looked very strong throughout the match where he created chances, joined the play very productively and was also good on the backend of the field. The midfielder also opened the scoring for Milan which should help boost his confidence going forward. Expect the midfielder to continue his momentum under new coach Pioli who may have rediscovered Calhanoglu’s true form.
As for Roma, with injuries continuing to hurt the club, Eden Dzeko has stepped up for his team. After renewing his contract with the club this summer, the striker had a good start to the season as he has started seven of eight matches and scored four goals and one assist. The striker will once again be relied upon in their match against the Rossoneri.