AS Roma host AC Milan on Friday in a massive early Serie A showdown. AS Roma started off the new season with only one point scored in two games after drawing the opening clash against Salernitana at home and then losing to Hellas Verona in the first away game of the season. On the other hand, AC Milan won both the first two matches of the year thanks to the two goals scored by USMNT star Christian Pulisic in his first appearances in the red and black jersey. Meanwhile, the Giallorossi have signed Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan, with the clear goal to end up in the top four in the last year of contract of coach Jose Mourinho, but now they need to make some points up and avoid an even slower start. Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday, September 1 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Stadio Olimpico -- Rome, Italy
- TV/Live stream: Paramount+
- Star Cam: CBS Sports Golazo Network
- Odds: AS Roma +190; Draw: +205; AC Milan +160
Team news
AS Roma: With Lukaku still not fit enough to start the clash against AC Milan, Jose Mourinho is expected to play with striker Andrea Belotti playing alongside Stephan El Shaarawy and supported by midfielders Lorenzo Pellegrini and Houssem Aouar. The rest of the starting lineup should be pretty easy to predict, considering the choices made by the Portuguese coach in the first two clashes of the season.
Potential AS Roma XI: Rui Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Llorente; Kristensen, Aouar, Cristante, Pellegrini, Spinazzola; El Shaarawy, Belotti.
AC Milan: Pulisic will definitely start the game on Friday, as he did in the two previous ones as right winger, playing alongside Rafael Leao on the left wing and striker Olivier Giroud. New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also expected to start the game, alongside Rade Krunic, who won't leave the club this summer despite the multiple teams being interested.
Potential AC Milan XI: Maignan; Calabria, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Rafa Leao.
Prediction
AC Milan started off well the new season with two consecutive wins but AS Roma at the same time has to make a good impression in front of the home fans after a not-so-positive start. Pick: AC Milan 2, AS Roma 2.