AC Milan - AS Roma predictions and free betting tips [14/01/2024]

On Sunday, 14 January, as part of the 20th round of the Italian Serie A, AC Milan will host AS Roma on their home turf. The Rossoneri are ahead of their capital rivals by 10 points in the league table, however, the Romans will be motivated to make amends with their fans after being knocked out of the quarter-finals of the national cup this week.

Predicted Lineups

AC Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Hernandez, Jimenez; Reijnders, Adli; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud.
AS Roma: Patricio; Mancini, Cristante, Llorente; Kristensen, Pellegrini, Paredes, Bove, Zalewski; Belotti, Lukaku.

Stadium

The clash will take place in Milan at the San Siro Stadium.

AC Milan

Falling behind Inter and Juventus, AC Milan is already seriously threatening their chances of clinching the Scudetto this season. On the other hand, Champions League qualification for the Rossoneri is more than likely: sitting in 3rd place in the league table, the Lombards currently are 7 points clear of fifth place. After their 3:2 loss to Atalanta in early December, Stefano Pioli's charges went on a four-game unbeaten streak in the championship (3 wins and 1 draw).

Last weekend, the hosts easily beat Empoli (0:3) thanks to goals from team newcomers Traore, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Olivier Giroud, but to their surprise, they lost to Atalanta in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia (1:2). Rafael Leao put AC Milan ahead just before the break, but the Bergamo side quickly responded with precise strikes from Teun Koopmeiners. Having moved into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group, AC Milan will face Rennes in the Europa League play-off. 

AS Roma

AS Roma occupies only the 8th place in the Serie A table, which is an unacceptable result for Jose Mourinho. Nevertheless, the club from Italy's capital city is just 4 points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina, so the chances of making it to the Champions League are still alive. However, in the last 5 matches with direct rivals for the top four finish, the Giallorossi have managed just one win - over struggling Napoli (2:0), while they have drawn twice and lost twice.

During this period, the Romans lost both away matches against Bologna (2:0) and Juventus (1:0). The Romans were also knocked out of the Cup midweek against Lazio (1:0) – all decided by a precise strike from Mattia Zaccagni in the second half. AS Roma also finished second in their Europa League group and will meet Feyenoord in the last 16 in February.  

Previous Meetings

In the last five home meetings with AS Roma, the Rossoneri have not lost. What's more, in the first round of the current Serie A campaign, AC Milan prevailed at the Olimpico with a 1:2 score.

Match Prediction: AS Roma vs. AC Milan

AC Milan approaches this Sunday's Serie A clash with slightly fewer problems than their capital rivals—despite both teams being eliminated from the national Cup this past week. The hosts have a strong home record and conceded only 4 goals here, while the Giallorossi’s squad leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll risk to bet on home victory with a handicap 0.

Goals Forecast 

Considering injuries to Dybala, Abraham, and Azmoun's departure for the Asian Cup, the Roman's attack may struggle against the staunch AC Milan defence – I’ll bet on AS Roma’s individual total of fewer than 1.5 goals.

Corner Forecast 

Both teams average five corners per match and boast several tall players, so I confidently bet on total corners exceeding 8.5.

Yellow Card Forecast

Given the importance of match results in terms of fighting for the Champions League zone, numerous bookings are expected (total over 4.5 yellow cards).

Score Forecast

I'll bet on a precise score of 2:0 in favour of AC Milan.