Stadio San Siro sets the stage for a mouth-watering Serie A showdown between early Scudetto contenders Milan and Roma. With only three points separating the sides before the kick-off, the hosts can leapfrog their familiar foes with a win here.
Milan slumped to yet another draw in midweek Serie A action as Atalanta held them to a 1-1 stalemate at the Gewiss Stadium. Despite scoring his first-ever league goal in the Rossoneri shirt, Samuele Ricci couldn’t inspire Massimiliano Allegri’s side to only their second top-flight victory since the start of October.
Indeed, Milan have shared the spoils in three of their last four league outings (W1), including a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw against newcomers Pisa in their most recent match at San Siro. After Napoli’s scoreless home stalemate against Como yesterday, Allegri’s charges can close the gap to a point.
However, beating Roma has become an increasingly challenging prospect under the guidance of Gian Piero Gasperini. The Giallorossi headed into proceedings level on points with Napoli following a 2-1 home win over Parma on Wednesday. Mario Hermoso and Artem Dovbyk were on the scoresheet to help the capital-based outfit claim their second consecutive league triumph.
Buoyed by that result, Roma will be out to beat Milan for the second game in a row after halting an underwhelming 15-match winless run against the Rossoneri in a 3-1 win in their last meeting in May. Yet, it’s worth noting that Roma’s last Serie A away victory over Milan dates back to October 2017.
Milan
Despite a shocking 2-1 home loss to newly promoted Cremonese on the opening weekend of the season, Milan have rebuilt their home fortress. Allegri’s men have since gone unbeaten in all five competitive games at San Siro (W4, D1) despite failing to keep a clean sheet in their last three such contests.
Milan’s formidable home form forms part of a superb nine-game undefeated streak in all competitions (W6, D3). The visit of fellow giants of Italian football shouldn’t faze the Rossoneri much, considering they have avoided defeat in the last seven league meetings between the teams at San Siro (W3, D4).
Further confidence comes from Milan’s decent scoring form on home turf, with Allegri’s lads bagging precisely two goals in their last three home league fixtures. Furthermore, Milan have become strong starters under Allegri, entering this round as one of just two Serie A sides yet to trail at halftime this term (W3, D6).
Roma
Despite Gasperini’s attacking-minded football philosophy, Roma’s matches have produced little to no excitement in the early stages of the season. Indeed, only two of Roma’s nine Serie A fixtures have featured over 2.5 goals, highlighting the veteran manager’s growing emphasis on structure and defensive balance over attacking flair.
However, Gasperini has turned Roma into a formidable defensive force. The visitors have racked up the division’s joint-high five clean sheets in the opening nine rounds. Yet, with four of their seven league wins yielding an identical 1-0 scoreline, fans in attendance cannot expect a high-scoring clash.
Nonetheless, Gasperini has inspired Roma to their best nine-game Serie A start since the 2014/15 season. Moreover, the Giallorossi have picked up 70 league points since the calendar year flipped to 2025 – more than any other side in Italy’s elite competition. Last but not least, they have only lost one of their 14 away league games in 2025 (W11, D2).
Milan will be without star forward Christian Pulisic, who’s still recovering from a hamstring injury. The same applies to summer signings Adrien Rabiot and Ardon Jashari, meaning Ricci should once again line up alongside Luka Modric and Youssouf Fofana in the middle of the park. Pervis Estupinan has resumed full training and could take Davide Bartesaghi’s place on the left flank.
As for Roma, Evan Ferguson remains out of contention due to injury. Angelino is close to recovering from illness, but this encounter should come too soon for the diminutive wingback.
Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Estupinan; Nkunku, Leao.
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Hermoso, Mancini, Ndicka; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Pellegrini; Dovbyk.
With both teams in good shape, it’s almost impossible to predict the winner. However, both sides have the quality to find the net. Therefore, we expect an open-ended contest.
Prediction: Both Teams to Score
