Roma and AC Milan will lock horns in the capital on match day 37 of the 2024/25 Serie A campaign
As of the time of writing, fourth-placed Roma have 63 points from 35 matches played, while Milan have 54 points from 34 matches and are placed ninth on the log.
This Serie A season was tagged to be one of the biggest in terms of competitiveness, and it lived up to the expectations. In the early stages of the season, it was a title race between the likes of Napoli, Fiorentina, Atalanta, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Lazio. These two clubs – Roma and Milan – started the league season poorly, and it seems only Roma have recovered to stage a chase for a Champions League spot.
Roma’s season wasn’t all smooth as they were languishing in the bottom half of the log when Daniele De Rossi was in charge. The former midfielder was sacked as Roma’s head coach after a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign, with former Torino boss Ivan Juric named as his replacement.
Before Juric’s appointment, Roma were just one point above the relegation zone in 16th place, having drawn three of their opening four league matches. The Croatian failed to lift the performance of the club, and he was also dismissed. The former Torino and Hellas Verona manager was in charge for 12 matches, winning four and losing five. Roma were 12th in Serie A and 20th in the Europa League, just one point above the elimination places at the time.
In a surprise move, Roma announced the return of Claudio Ranieri to the club on a short-term basis – six months after announcing his retirement. The club also confirmed that Claudio will transition into a senior executive role at the end of the season, where he will be an adviser to the ownership on all sporting matters at the club.
However, the fortunes of the club have been transformed under the veteran as they have beaten Inter Milan and Fiorentina in recent weeks to move into the top four. Since Claudio’s appointment, no team in Europe has earned more points in 2025, and they are currently 19 games unbeaten. In the Europa League, Athletic Bilbao sent them out in the round of 16, while Milan knocked them out in the Coppa Italia.
Similarly, Milan started the season poorly under new manager Paulo Fonseca. The 51-year-old came in with a strong reputation, and he was quite vocal during his presentation early in the season. However, he did not last more than six months at the club.
The Rossoneri started the campaign with a 2-2 draw against Torino at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. Then, they went to Parma and lost 2-1. AC Milan’s first campaign win came in their fourth game against Venezia. Goals from Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic, Youssouf Fofana, and Theo Hernandez sealed the win for the former Serie A champions.
After that, they picked up an impressive win against defending champions and Milan rivals Inter Milan. A late strike from Matteo Gabbia sealed the 2-1 win for the Rossoneri. That win catalyzed them to a 3-0 win over Lecce, but they failed to sustain that momentum, as they lost 2-1 to Fiorentina in their next game.
AC Milan returned to winning ways with a hard-fought win over Udinese. They had to play with a man deficit for 61 minutes after Tijjani Reijnders got sent off in the 29th minute. Since that game, AC Milan have suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Napoli, beaten Monza 1-0 away, and played out back-to-back draws against Cagliari and Juventus. Milan managed four wins in their next five games in all competitions to improve their poor start to the season.
Unfortunately, Fonseca was eventually sacked in December after an inconsistent run of form left the club eighth in the Italian top flight. He was replaced by Sergio Conceicao. The Portuguese led the side to a Supercoppa win over Inter, but performances in the league barely improved.
Milan are currently ninth on the log, nine points adrift of the final European spot with four games to go. Chances are slim, but they can still make the Europa League after beating Inter to reach the Coppa Italia final.
The reverse fixture between the two teams finished 1-1, but fortunes have changed for one side compared to the other since then. Roma are currently unbeaten in 2025, while Milan have been underwhelming all season.
Roma and Milan have met 51 times since 2004. Roma have won 17 times, Milan have won 19 times, and the remaining 15 meetings have ended in stalemates.
Match tickets
The epic match at Stadio Olimpico in Rome will be played on Sunday, May 18th, 2025, at 14:00 GMT+1.
The 72,698-capacity stadium will host this clash between the two powerhouses of Italian football.
Getting Roma v Milan tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Star forward Paulo Dybala has been ruled out for the rest of the season. So, Roma will rely on Artem Dovbyk and Soule to lead the line. Saud Abdulhamid and Victor Nelsson have returned to the squad following spells on the sidelines.
Roma possible XI: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Cristante, Kone, Angelino; Soule, Pellegrini; Dovbyk.
AC Milan have fewer concerns, with Jovic doubtful due to a late injury. Abraham, who is battling a thigh problem, could be back in time to lead the line with Reijinders providing support from midfield. Emerson Royal has returned to training after a three-month layoff. Meanwhile, January signings Riccardo Sottil and Warren Bondo remain sidelined.
AC Milan possible XI: Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Gimenez, Leao.
Prediction
Roma are unbeaten in Serie A this year. Their 40-point haul is the best in Europe’s traditional top-five leagues, thanks to Ranieri’s outstanding work. This is a big match, get your Roma tickets early enough.
Roma were down and out in the European ticket race, but they have recovered and are closing in on a return to the UEFA Champions League as things stand. By the way, get your Roma tickets early enough to catch the game.
On the other hand, Milan have won their last three away games without conceding, and that could help them going into this fixture. In addition, they have not lost in Serie A to Roma in the capital since 2019.
Roma 1-1 AC Milan