The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Roma

AC Milan take on Roma in a Sunday night showdown at San Siro, hoping to keep up with the rest of the pack at the top of the league.

Draws against Pisa and Atalanta in the last two rounds have seen Milan surrender top spot, but they have a chance to compact things again if they can beat Roma tonight. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have started very well themselves, however, and are three points ahead in the table.

During his usual pre-match press conference, Massimiliano Allegri spoke about renewing his duel with Gasperini, while he will be without four injured players: Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Fikayo Tomori and Cheveyo Balentien.

AC Milan vs. Roma: Five key battles

Looking at the important duels that will take place across the pitch, it feels obvious to start with Milan’s front two: Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku. Both are under pressure to perform – the former because of his big price tag and the fact he hasn’t got a league goal yet, and the latter because he is now expected to lead from the front in his new position as part of a front two.

For Roma, it feels as though all three centre-backs will all play a part in trying to halt the Portuguese and the Frenchman. However, given that the former will play down the middle and the latter may end up drifting more to the left, Mario Hermoso and Gianluca Mancini will probably have most of the work to do. The former was actually linked with Milan, while the latter has been a thorn in their side in previous encounters.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Moving into the midfield, there will be an intriguing contest between Milan’s past and present. Luka Modric has been nothing short of sensational since his arrival but after a tougher night against Atalanta on Sunday, some doubts have arisen about his workload management. Nonetheless, he will be the deep-lying playmaker and hopefully the orchestrator again.

For the Giallorossi, Bryan Cristante is the one that is expected to play behind the strikers in what has been a rather bold tactical move from Gasperini. Traditionally someone who plays deeper, the former Milan man will play the double role of disruptor (to Modric, like Mario Pasalic did) but also supplier for the front two.

The main man for Roma will be Paulo Dybala, who Milan fans know all too well by now. He has faced the Rossoneri 27 times in his career – more than anyone else – with 15 wins, 10 goals and six assists to his name. That alone shows why he is very dangerous, especially when he sees red and black shirts on the other side.

He will play as part of a front two with Matias Soule, who – given that he is left-footed and likes to cut in – will probably operate more on the right. So, Matteo Gabbia will be the one tasked with keeping shackles on Dybala, though he will probably require some assistance from Koni De Winter in moments when the Argentine drifts wide.

Finally, we end with another battle in the midfield, and this time one that could be largely physical. Youssouf Fofana will operate on the right side of a midfield three for Milan, which means that his opposite number will be his compatriot Manu Kone. It is a bit of a sliding doors duel in many ways, given that Milan were strongly linked with Kone while he was at Toulouse and then when he was at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Fofana joined from Monaco in the 2023 summer window and Allegri clearly seems to like what he sees from the Frenchman, given he is set for a 10th league start out of 10. Only four other players (Modric, Pavlovic, Gabbia and Saelemaekers) have started every game. With Ardon Jashari’s return imminent, Fofana will have to keep his levels high.