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AC Milan face AS Roma in the league tonight as the Rossoneri look to keep the pressure on Napoli at the top of the table and look to grab three points from a top four contender. Stefano Pioli welcomes some key players back such as Hernandez and Diaz but will need to urge his side to keep focused to get a result in Rome. Here are some key battles to look out for:
Key Battles
Right back vs Left back
Stefano Pioli vs Jose Mourinho
More than anything, this match will be a tactical battle between a high on confidence Pioli and a reeling from shock Mourinho. Milan tend to struggle against teams who play defensive football and hold possession and we struggle even more against pacey wingers. Roma have all these attributes. Pioli need focus to win this game and lots of patience. The moment we lose out nerve in this one, we will get hit hard on the counter.
Central attacking midfielder vs Central defensive midfielder
Lorenzo Pellegrini vs Ismael Bennacer
The one aspect of Roma’s play that will hurt us is the positioning of Pellegrini and his tendency to make late runs into the box to meet the cross or pick up the ball from Tammy Abraham. Bennacer has grown in confidence in recent weeks but still has left a little some to be desired in the defensive phase, mistakes such as the one for the opener against Verona will be costly. Bennacer will need to keep tight at Pellegrini and stop him from taking long shots or collecting the ball in the box.
Striker vs Centre back
Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs Gianluca Mancini
A potentially big game for the Swede, he can score his 400th career goal and his 150th in Serie A if he manages to get on the scoresheet tonight. He will be replacing Giroud who did well in the last game but hopefully he adds some movement in the attack and he can create something special in this big match. He has battled Mancini a few time snow thus will know the centre back is strong and quick but can be caught flat footed at times. Ibrahimovic will need to pick up the ball just when Mancini is caught out of position to find the space to shoot on goal.
Predictions
Pioli Winner
Pellegrini Winner
Ibrahimovic Winner
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