The five key battles that could win or lose the game for Milan against Roma | OneFootball

AC Milan will play their final game of 2024 tonight, welcoming Roma to San Siro in a battle of two sides performing below expectations at present.

Milan did win their last game before the Christmas break against Hellas Verona, but it was a far from convincing performance. There is still an ongoing search for consistency, and eighth place in the table is far from good enough.

As Paulo Fonseca admitted in his pre-match press conference, the pressure is on to generate results and performances, otherwise the season could slip into a deep crisis.

The five key battles

The latest reports suggest that Fonseca has settled on his line-up, with the following players out injured: Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao, Yunus Musah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Noah Okafor, Luka Jovic and Alessandro Florenzi.

Given those absences, there will be some added impetus for Tijjani Reijnders. He has been involved in the most goals this season across all competitions (eight goals, two assists) of all Serie A midfielders. He is also one of two midfielders who has had at least 20 shots (25) and completed at least 20 dribbles (20) in the current campaign, along with Como’s Nico Paz.

The Dutchman is expected to play behind the striker tonight, and should therefore face Manu Kone. He was heavily linked with a move to Milan before the summer and in years prior before sealing a late switch to Roma, where he is already beginning to show exactly why he ended up on the radar of some top clubs. He plays an anchoring midfield role, but can also progress the ball.

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At the other end, Milan’s old foe Paulo Dybala is tipped to start in a three-pronged attack. The Argentina has been involved in the most goals against the Rossoneri among current Serie A players (seven goals, five assists). However, the forward has only scored one goal at the San Siro against Milan in the league, back in November 2014 for Palermo.

It will likely be up to Malick Thiaw to keep tabs on the former Juventus man, given that Dybala tends to play off the striker on the right side. It will be a good test for the German after a recent resurgence and a return to being a regular starter.

Alvaro Morata missed the game against Verona due to tonsillitis but has recovered and will lead the line over Roma loanee Tammy Abraham. While the Spaniard has never really been a prolific scorer, his current return of four Serie A goals is not really enough and he would love to return to scoring in front of a sold out home crowd.

His opponent will be another experienced player in Mats Hummels. He was mentioned as a possible option for Milan after leaving Dortmund but eventually headed to the Italian capital on a free transfer. The German had some initial physical difficulties but has now established himself as the bedrock of Claudio Ranieri’s three-man defensive line.

Moving to the flank, there will be a fascinating contest between two attacking full-backs who have each sported bleach blonde hair at various times: Theo Hernandez and Alexis Saelemaekers. Many questioned the decision to let the Belgian leave in the summer, and though he had some injury issues he has three goal contributions in the last two games.

On the flip side, it has been a rollercoaster campaign for Theo already. The Frenchman found himself dropped in the past couple of games but seems to have won Fonseca back over again after question marks about his attitude. The best way to show he has turned a corner would be with an attentive performance at both ends against a player he knows very well.

Finally, we come to Roma’s statement summer signing: Artem Dovbyk. The Ukrainian signed for a fee widely reported to be close to €40m and though he has shown some very encouraging flashes, he remains on five goals from 15 league games. Thus, question marks are beginning to be asked about the investment.

Matteo Gabbia is the centre-back that Fonseca will likely entrust with halting the ex-Girona striker, as someone who is aerially proficient and will be up for the physical battle. In truth though it will be a team effort from Thiaw-Gabbia against Dovbyk-Dybala, and a clean sheet will be hard work.