Time for the Euroderby [Newsletter]
The Europa League quarter-final tie between AC Milan and Roma has finally arrived, with the action scheduled for Thursday evening underneath the floodlights at San Siro. The Rossoneri have truly been in tremendous form lately, winning seven games on the trot, and a good result will have to be clinched in the first leg ahead of the decider at Stadio Olimpico.
Stefano Pioli and his players extended the winning run to seven games in all competitions at the weekend, beating Lecce by three goals to nil at San Siro. It ended up being a rather routine win as the away side got a red card in the first half, at which point Milan had already scored two goals. Although it perhaps wasn’t the liveliest game, the confidence boost was crucial ahead of the European adventure.
Roma have won 8/11 games in the league (2D, 1L) since Daniele De Rossi took over the reins from Jose Mourinho. In the Round of 16 of the Europa League, they knocked out Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton - winning 4-1 on aggregate - and certainly sent a signal to the remaining teams in the tournament. On the other hand, if we want to get really petty, they have only won two of their last five games (2D, IL).
Nevertheless, the expectation is that the quarter-final in question will be a tight one, especially considering how different it is to face a domestic opponent on the European scene. Milan certainly have good quarter-final memories in that sense, beating Napoli 2-1 on aggregate in the Champions League last season. The Partenopei then were arguably stronger than Roma now, but it’s still a task that the Rossoneri cannot take lightly.
As mentioned, Pioli’s men will need a good result from the first leg, making the most of playing in front of their fans. It’s never easy to play at the Olimpico and it doesn’t help that it will be a do-or-die situation next week. Of course, Milan will be heading into the clash with a lot of confidence, as they should, and the feeling is still that they are the favourites to qualify for the semi-finals.
Malick Thiaw has recovered from his minor injury, which is a boost for the Rossoneri, and he will battle it out with Simon Kjaer for a starting spot. Even if not to start, it’s good to have the German available as Fikayo Tomori will be serving a suspension in the first leg. Besides the Englishman’s absence, though, Pioli pretty much has a fit squad and this is indeed crucial for the season finale. All hands on deck are truly needed, especially if Milan were to reach the next stage of the Europa League.
News bulletin
➤ Milan Primavera's play-off hopes suffered a big dent as they fell to a surprising 2-0 defeat away at Sampdoria on Monday evening with Gabriele Alesi netting against his parent club. However, it is not all bad news as a talented Pescara defender is set to arrive.
➤ It may be the international break, but the blows keep coming for the AC Milan Women. Christy Grimshaw confirmed that she suffered an ACL tear during the Rossonere’s 4-1 win against Como at the end of last month, while captain Kosovare Asllani hinted at a summer exit.
➤ A new but also familiar name has emerged in Milan's striker pursuit. Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting that Milan have Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface on their list of targets having tried and failed to land him last summer, while this has been backed up by other sources too.
➤ Rafael Leao was presented with a commemorative medal for reaching 200 appearances with Milan on Tuesday, and he branded the club as his ‘home’ while stating that he wishes to play another 200 games in a red and black shirt. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano shut down the Arsenal links.
➤ The market values of various Milan players such as Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez and Christian Pulisic have been growing during the 2023-24 season, and a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport gave an update on how much they are worth.
➤ Finally, details have emerged regarding Milan’s potential third kit for the 2024-25 season and the 125th anniversary shirt. The former is expected to be a throwback to one seen in the 2000s, while the latter features a different crest.