What: Italian Serie A
Who: Roma vs AC Milan
When: Friday 25th April, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
Morale Win
Fourteen points ahead of third-placed Napoli but eight points behind league leaders Juventus, Roma have all but wrapped second place with four fixtures to go before the end of the 2013/14 Serie A festivities. The Romans have won all of their last six games in the domestic league, and will be hoping to be able to overcome AC Milan on the night in order for them to continue their good run and try to end their season in the best way possible.
Despite Milan being in sixth position ahead of this game, and more likely than not missing European action for next term, coach Rudi Garcia still believes that his side will need to be on their best behavior should they want to topple the Diavoli on Friday night.
“The Rossoneri went further than any other Italian team in the Champions League. They won five games in a row, so that shows you how tough it’s going to be. We’ve been preparing for our games this way since the beginning of the season. We’ll have more than 50,000 fans at the Olimpico to cheer us on and motivate us. We have to take the field as we did against Atalanta or Fiorentina in the last match, motivated and ready to play an attractive and attacking game”, commented the former Lille manager.
Finally On Track
It took AC Milan the better part of the current season to get in good form, but it has finally arrived for Clarence Seedorf and his men. The Dutchman took over from Massimiliano Allegri back in January and found a team of disoriented players. Milan are back to winning ways, as the seven-time Champions League winners have been victorious in their past five games in the league. Their current campaign however is still very much a disappointment, and they will have to excel in their remaining games to have a solid foundation for their summer preparations and the following term.
To usurp the league runners-up, Milan will have to play their best football, according to Seedorf. “We’re heading to Rome knowing that we’re in good form. I have a lot of respect for Garcia and the team. He’s in his first year in Serie A and he’s looking to impose his game and his ideas. I don’t know if we’d be able to stop their individual players as that would be very complicated given their quality. We’ll have to play well as a team and play our game. Credit for the last five wins goes to the players who have shown the desire necessary to get out of a negative period. We want to improve even more before the end of the season.”
Recent form
Roma:
Cagliari 1-3 Roma (06/04; Serie A)
Roma 3-1 Atalanta (12/04; Serie A)
Fiorentina 0-1 Roma (19/04; Serie A)
AC Milan:
Genoa 1-2 Milan (07/04; Serie A)
Milan 1-0 Catania (13/04; Serie A)
Milan 3-0 Livorno (19/04; Serie A)
Key absences
Roma: Francesco Totti (doubt); Maicon (doubt); Alessio Romagnoli (doubt); Mehdi Benatia; Kevin Strootman; Federico Balzaretti; Mattia Destro (suspended)
AC Milan: Valter Birsa (doubt); Keisuke Honda (doubt); Michael Essien (doubt); Andrea Petagna (doubt); Stephan El Shaarawy; Nigel de Jong (suspended)
Players to watch
Roma – Gervinho: The Ivory Coast forward has eight goals and ten assists to his name in Serie A so far this season. With Francesco Totti a doubt for this one, he will have a chance to further impress his superiors when he takes the pitch on Friday.
AC Milan – Mario Balotelli: The frontman still has a few games in order to impress Italy national team coach Cesare Prandelli. While his selection for this summer’s FIFA World Cup is a certainty, he nonetheless needs to show the world that he is the best striker the peninsula has to offer.
Match Prediction
Milan are showing promise as they are finally building a decent steak, but Roma are on a level of their own, as they have won their last eight games in Serie A, and have scored at least twice in nine of their last ten games at the Stadio Olimpico domestically. Expect the home side to come up with the full spoils with a 2-0 win.
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