Serie A: Roma to Add On to Milan’s Woes

AS Roma vs AC Milan

We’re back here once again in the Serie A where we will get to watch AS Roma host AC Milan in the league’s ninth match day.

Roma are clinging on to the sixth spot at the table with 13 points, while AC Milan further slid to the table as they’re now placed 12^th with 10 points.

The home team is yet to be defeated for the month of October, but they haven’t won any matches too. They would hope to change that narrative in their next fixture, and what better time to get that victory than against the struggling AC Milan club.

I Rossoneri have continued their downward spiral in this campaign as they’ve lost their three out their last five fixtures and fans over at San Siro are probably pissed right now.

Can Roma add more to Milan’s misery? Or will the road team find a way to score a rare one against I Giallorossi?

SBOBET provides you a quick preview on the game ahead on Monday.

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Serie A

Talking points

Roma missing some key players

Roma have overcome some drama that they’ve experienced at the start of the season, and they’re basically back to where they belong which is around the table’s top six spot.

Even with their decent campaign so far, their main problem right now is dealing with a ton of injuries to their squad. In their recent match against Monchengladbach in the Europa League, seven players were sidelined due to injuries, leaving team manager Paulo Fonseca to field in some of their bench players.

One of those who were sorely missed by I Giallorossi is former Arsenal attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was signed to a loan deal last month in an effort to shore up their roster. He would have provided stability in the middle and some Serie A 2019 highlights in the past few matches.

In their win against Sassuolo, Mkhitaryan made his impact right away by scoring in the 22^nd minute, but that’s part of the past now as he’s now dealing with a thigh strain that would sideline him for weeks.

Injuries for their youngsters such as Amadou Diawara, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Cengiz Under, and Bryan Cristante have also hurt the squad particularly in the middle which gives their opponents a viable place to attack them with.

Paulo Fonseca could only do so much in finding the right combinations for his lineup, and fans over the Stadio Olimpico could only pray that their guys will be fit to play soon.

AC Milan undergoes a coaching change

Stefano Pioli demands more from his AC Milan team to turn their fortunes in Serie A — AC Milan new manager Stefano Pioli reacts during a Serie A match

Ever since Silvio Berlusconi left AC Milan to new owner Li Yonghong, the team has suffered one setback after another.

Marco Giampaolo, who struggled in tinkering his lineups, was replaced by Stefano Pioli and the latter didn’t receive a warm welcome.AC Milan fans were in protest against his appointment by using the hashtag #PioliOut given his linkage to city rivals Inter.

However, Pioli remains unfazed, and he is adamant that he will use the boos and jeers as motivation to do better than his predecessor.

“I have respect for the fans and they have the right to criticise, but this is an extra stimulus for me,” said Pioli.

“The past is the past. I’m a man and a professional, who wants to do well. The judgments will be from what happens on the pitch, not from what I was as a child,” he added.

He will take over a Milan side that have lost four of their opening Serie A fixtures of this term and are already four points behind of the top four.

Pioli already has helped make an impact for the squad particularly in their drawn game against Lecce. The team held an advantage up until added time where Lecce’s Marco Calderoni scored the equaliser.

Moreover, the 53-year-old mentor has set lofty expectations for the squad and one of them is getting into the Champions League.

“We’ll be working on the players’ heads as well as the set-up on the pitch. We’ve got 10 important days [in the international break] and I’ll try to make the most of every moment,” bared Pioli.

“I’d like to make the team play in a positive way. I just have to give them all the courage possible. We have to fight to get into the Champions League,” he added.

History

The head-to-heads between I Giallorossi and I Rossoneri have been close as they have won 15 games each in their 46 total encounters along with 16 draws.

AC Milan have gotten the better of Roma this past year while they drew level with a 1-1 score last February.

Betting Tip

	AS Roma vs AC Milan	AS Roma Asian Handicap +0.00 @1.62
	October 28, 01:00 (GMT+8)

The Serie A 2019 odds favour the home team on this one as they were placed at 2.21 to win, while AC Milan are pegged at 3.10. Odds for a draw are set at 3.40 in the 1×2 market.

Both teams are expected to leave it all out on the field in this fixture. However, I will give the slight edge here to Roma since Milan’s internal problems might appear to be too much to bear for them.

Nonetheless, this figures to be an interesting game to watch and I bet you’re excited too!