ROMA v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

Roma in Rome. While this fixture came late last season, it’ll be played early on this time around. In April, the Rossoneri rescued a late draw to move closer to Champions League qualification, whereas today Coach Pioli's men will be hoping to build on their positive start. A big clash awaits against a strong side in a fantastic atmosphere. Here's our Match Preview as tonight’s 20:45 CEST kick-off draws nearer.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
AC Milan did well in Bologna and even better against Torino. Indeed, the Rossoneri have already shown some excellent signs on a team level and in terms of fitness. Two wins, six goals and top of the table on maximum points. The group has been working in a calm manner at Milanello, and there are no absentees to report. Even if he has plenty of options available to him, Coach Pioli seems set to continue with the team he fielded during the opening two matchdays, with Maignan between the sticks, Reijnder and Loftus-Cheek either side of Krunić in midfield, a right flank occupied by Calabria and Pulisic, the Hernández-Leão partnership on the left and Giroud up front in a 4-3-3 formation.

"Every match is important," said Pioli in his pre-match press conference. "We'll be facing a very strong team and want to win and build on our previous successes. We'll look to be determined, alert, proactive and dangerous. In matches like this, you have to minimise the margin for error, and we’ve prepared as best we can."

LATEST FROM ROMA
Roma have made a stuttering start to the season: after a home draw against Salernitana (2-2), the Giallorossi suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Hellas Verona last time out. Nevertheless, Mourinho’s men remain fearsome opponents, not least because they’ll be aiming to bounce back. Roma will have home advantage, too, at a stadium that will only be further electrified by Lukaku's arrival. The Belgian has already trained with the group and is available, although he’ll probably start from the bench. The same applies to Dybala, who has recovered but isn't fully fit after a muscle problem. In Roma’s 3-5-2 formation, Smalling will lead the defence, Pellegrini and Cristante will be key figures in midfield (it should be noted that Renato Sanches won't play) and Belotti will feature in attack.

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan are unbeaten in ten of their last eleven league meetings with Roma, scoring at least once in all of these games. Nevertheless, 1-1 has been the most frequent scoreline between the sides in the past: this has occurred on 24 occasions, including when the teams met on 29 April.
• Five of the six goals the Rossoneri have scored in Serie A so far this season (along with Fiorentina, the most in the division) were first-half finishes.
• After his goals against Bologna and Torino, Christian Pulisic has the opportunity to score in each of his first three AC Milan matches in Serie A. He'd become the third Rossoneri player to do so, following in the footsteps of Bierhoff in 1998 and Balotelli in 2013.  
• Stefano Pioli (298) is close to reaching 300 points in Serie A with AC Milan; he'd be the second Rossoneri Coach to reach this total after Ancelotti (557).

WHERE TO WATCH ROMA v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch Roma v AC Milan in a different country, you can consult the “AC Milan on TV” webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 19:45 CEST and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli’s press conference. From 20:40 CEST, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Antonio Rapuano will be the referee for the showdown at the Olimpico. He's previously taken charge of four matches involving the Rossoneri, the most recent of which was AC Milan 2-0 Lazio in May. He's refereed Roma twice during his career; he last did so when the Giallorossi played out a 1-1 home draw against Torino in November 2022.

Sassuolo vs Hellas Verona will kick off matchday three in Serie A at 18:30 CEST today, followed by Roma v AC Milan at 20:45 CEST. Bologna v Cagliari and Udinese v Frosinone are scheduled for 18:30 CEST on Saturday, with Atalanta v Monza and Napoli v Lazio then set to take place at 20:45 CEST. On Sunday, Inter v Fiorentina and Torino v Genoa will both kick off at 18:30 CEST, while Empoli v Juventus and Lecce v Salernitana will bring the latest round of league fixtures to a close at 20:45 CEST.

Here is the table as it stands: AC Milan, Napoli, Inter and Hellas Verona 6; Fiorentina, Juventus and Lecce 4; Monza, Frosinone and Genoa 3; Salernitana 2; Roma, Bologna, Cagliari, Udinese and Torino 1; Lazio, Empoli and Sassuolo 0.

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