Our prediction for this Serie A match:
There will be fireworks when Roma and Milan square off against each other at Stadio Olimpico in the Serie A derby. The Romans aim to build on a 2-1 win over Cagliari, where they came from behind to pick up all three points. Jose Mourinho’s men aim to melt Milan’s advantage in the Serie A standings to six points, but this game will be anything but a walk in the park for the Giallorossi. Both Smalling and Spinazzola are out of contention with injuries for the capital club.
The Rossoneri, on the other hand, did well to beat Torino 1-0 thanks to Olivier Giroud’s goal, with the team retaining top position in the standings. Milan, though, will have a much bigger fish to fry in Sunday’s derby. A close encounter is on the cards in the “Eternal City”, and we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. Ante Rebic is a major doubt, while Florenzi remains in the recovery room.
Highlighted Player (Nikola Kalinic):
Nikola Kalinic is a product of Hajduk Split’s youth school. The 187-cm-tall striker scored 32 goals in 59 appearances for Hajduk at senior level and he played for the likes of Pula and Sibenik in Croatia as well. In 2009 he moved to Blackburn Rovers for fee of £6 million.
Nikola Kalinic made his Blackburn Rovers debut against Sunderland on 22 August, 2009 and he scored his first goal for the Riversiders against Peterborough United in the League Cup. After making 44 league appearances for Blackburn Rovers, the Croatian attacker joined Dnipro in 2011 and he played for the Ukrainian outfit until 2015.
Kalinic signed a four-year deal with Fiorentina on 15 August, 2015 and he impressed in the 2015/2016 Serie A campaign, scoring 12 goals in 36 games. The Fiorentina striker made two appearances for Croatia at the 2016 European Championship in France and it has to be noted that he found the net in a 2-1 win over Spain in the group stages of the competition.
Highlighted Team (Milan):
AC Milan are regarded as one of the biggest club in Italy. The Rossoneri compete in the Italian Serie A and they have won 18 domestic trophies. Speaking of the club’s European success, Milan have clinched seven Champions League (European Cup) trophies.
Milan were on the verge of beating Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final, but the Premier League outfit came from three goals behind and eventually won the prestigious trophy on penalties. The Rossoneri play their home games at Stadio San Siro (80,018), the stadium that was opened in 1926. It is well known that Milan’s bitterest rivals are Inter and there have always been fireworks when the two local rivals face each other in the Derby della Madonnina.
Milan were founded in 1899 by a lace-maker from England named Herbert Kilpin and a businessman Alfred Edwards. Milan’s home kits are red and black and that is why the team’s nickname is Rossoneri (The Red and Blacks).
The likes of Alessandro Costacurta, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Roberto Donadoni, Dejan Savicevic, Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Andrea Pirlo are the most famous footballers who have represented the San Siro outfit.