AC MILAN v ROMA: MATCH PREVIEW

2022 begins with a big match at San Siro: Mourinho's Roma come to town, a side who are fighting for the top positions in the Serie A table. The Giallorossi were in excellent form at the end of 2021 and will be keen to kick off the new year on the front foot. The same applies to the Rossoneri, who will have many absentees back and will pick up where they left off from their win in Empoli on 22 December.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The list of players available for this clash is very different compared to the last match of 2021. For AC Milan v Roma, Mr Pioli will not have Ballo-Touré, Bennacer and Kessie, who are away at the African Cup of Nations. In addition, he will be without five more players who have tested positive for COVID-19. However, in spite of the missing players and influx of those making a return, Coach Pioli has called for a strong start to a tough set of fixtures ahead in the second half of the season. 

Pioli's words on the eve of the game: "We'll be up against a very different Roma side compared to the one we played earlier in the season. Mourinho has done a great job in terms of compactness, intensity and empathy with the environment there. It's a strong team that rightly has to aim for a spot in the top four. We need to cover the pitch well and have players ready to stretch them in attack." 

LATEST FROM ROMA
Rui Patricio's injury concerns have been eased at Roma: the Portuguese goalkeeper is struggling with back problems but, as confirmed by Mourinho, he will be back on the pitch tonight at San Siro. Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, who has been sidelined since Roma v Torino on 28 November, will also be available. An important return to fitness for one of the Giallorossi's key players. Tammy Abraham, who came off injured in the last game of 2021 against Sampdoria, will also be back. Just like the Rossoneri, Roma will also have to deal with a number of absences due to the COVID-19. 

Mourinho's words in the press conference: "We are ready, after 15 days without football it's better to come back with a game of this magnitude, we won't have to find any motivation. It will be an easy one to focus on."

PRE-MATCH
This will not be the first time Roma and AC Milan have met on 6 January: it happened in 2004, in the season that led to the Rossoneri's 17th Scudetto. Shevchenko's brace at Stadio Olimpico secured the victory that night. Alessandro Florenzi is the player who has made the most league appearances (227) in a Roma shirt since making his Serie A debut on 22 May 2011, while Alessio Romagnoli made his first 13 appearances and scored his first goal in Serie A with the Giallorossi. There have been 86 previous meetings at San Siro, with 47 Milan wins, 20 draws and 19 Roma victories. The last 18 meetings between the Rossoneri and the Giallorossi at San Siro have been evenly matched, with seven wins each and four draws.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN ON TV
AC Milan v Roma will be broadcast in Italy exclusively by DAZN. On the Rossoneri channels, however, Milan TV's Matchday will cover the build-up and post-match. It will be available on SKY (channel 230), within the schedule of DAZN or Amazon Prime Video Channels. The subscription costs €3.99 per month with a fifteen-day free trial. Live coverage of the Rossoneri's pre-match build-up will begin at 17:00 (CET) until close to kick-off at San Siro. At the end of the match, there will be interviews and a press conference with coach Pioli.

From 18:20, there will also be a special event on AC Milan's Twitch channel, with Live Reaction from Francesco Specchia, Lollo, Garrincha, some of the most buzzed-about streamers and more. Don't miss the live stream on Twitter and coverage on acmilan.com and the AC Milan Official App.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
The referee for the match will be Daniele Chiffi, from the branch of Padua, who has already taken charge of the Rossoneri on four other occasions, the most recent one being earlier this season, AC Milan 2-0 Lazio at San Siro. Roma have had six previous meetings with Chiffi, the last coming against Torino at Stadio Olimpico in November. 

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