Serie A: AC Milan Aim to Sack Rome

AS Roma vs AC Milan

The Italian top flight has given us the best drama in recent seasons and it’s delivering again, with a superbly competitive battle at the top end of the table.  

It’s hard to pick the Serie A match of the weekend, but I’m going for AS Roma versus AC Milan, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s Giallorossi entertain Massimiliano Allegri’s Rossoneri to bring the curtain down on another pivotal round on Sunday. The race for the Scudetto is still open with Inter Milan on 49 points, three ahead of AC Milan, with Napoli three further back, a point ahead of Roma on 42. 

This match is a top end six pointer. 

The Serie A 2026 betting odds are squarely behind I Nerazzurri who can stretch their lead by beating Pisa on Friday night and then it’s down to the chasers to keep up the pressure. But with Napoli visiting fifth placed Juventus and Roma getting it on with Milan it could be a good weekend for the leaders. 

So while this could easily be a cagy affair, a draw isn’t a whole lot of use to either team, particularly AC Milan. And with Roma facing Stuttgart in a testing Europa League clash on Thursday, I Rossoneri will be the fresher of the two teams.        

 

Talking Points

Can Roma beat a top four rival? 

I Giallorossi’s Serie A 2026 results have been pretty impressive on the whole and three consecutive 2-0 league wins, over Lecce,  Sassuolo Calcio and Torino (though they lost to Il Toro in the Coppa Italia) have given Roma belief they are still in the race for the Scudetto. 

But to win the title they have to beat the best, and Roma have so far fallen short.    

In their first outing of 2026 I Giallorossi lost to Gasperini’s old boys at Atalanta, just before Christmas they went down to Juventus and there were defeated by both Napoli and AC Milan in November. So this is a huge test for Roma and Gasperini has moved to strengthen his squad in January, with some success already. Dutch striker, Donyell Malen, on loan from Aston Villa, scored in the 2-0 win over Torino last week and he will surely continue in attack, alongside the veteran Argentine forward Paulo Dybala, with Stephen El Shaarawy sidelined. 

Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini is another player back to somewhere near his best form and Ivorian centre back Evan Ndicka, now back to full fitness, has become a dominant figure at the heart of defence and he has a huge task ahead of him on Sunday against a buoyant Milan front line.       

 

Max’s Milan is relentless  

Allegri’s team is unbeaten since an opening day shock at home to Cremonese, winning 13 and drawing seven of the next 20 and, without any European responsibilities having finished eighth last season, Milan have a great chance this season, and they have the players to take it.      

Christian Pulisic, with eight goals and two assists and Rafel Leao with seven goals and two assists have been in superb shape, and the return to form of Leao in particular has been a huge boost. Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Fikayo Tomori has emerged as one of the best centre backs in the league in front of the uber confident keeper Mike Maignan. With the likes of Pervis Estupian and Adrien Rabiot at wingback and in midfield this is a team with quality running through it, and Allegri too has strengthened with the loan signing of target man Niclas Fullkrug from West Ham United. 

And don’t forget the mercurial Luka Modric, who continues to roll back the years at the grand old age of 40. This Milan side looks like a team of winners to me…but this is the kind of match they must take three points from.     

 

History 

These two giants of Italian football have been very competitive in their battles with AC Milan winning 20 of the last 53 encounters to Roma’s 18 and there have been 15 draws. At the Stadio Olimpico Roma have the edge at ten victories to eight while there have been eight draws. I Giallorossi won this fixture last season, 3-1, but when the two teams met at the San Siro in November Milan won 1-0 thanks to a Strahinja Pavlovic goal and a dramatic Maignan penalty save.    

Milan have won four and drawn two of their last six Serie A games while Roma have won four and lost two, but the hosts do come into the game on the back of three league wins.

 

Betting Tip

Roma are at SBOTOP odds of 2.60 to win this clash with the draw at 3.00 and Milan at 2.87. But I’m backing Allegri’s men who have more time to prepare and are devilishly hard to beat.

   

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, X and Instagram.