Both dealing with disappointment, Serie A rivals Roma and AC Milan meet at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, when the hosts continue their quest for Champions League qualification.
While the Giallorossi saw their long unbeaten streak ended last week, denting hopes of a top-four finish, Milan were defeated in Wednesday's Coppa Italia final and could miss out on Europe altogether.
Match preview
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Having stormed through the pack in 2025, Roma's run was finally halted at the hands of Atalanta BC on Monday night, when they were beaten 2-1 in Bergamo.
Defeat ended a streak of 19 league games without losing - featuring 14 wins - but the capital club are still in the thick of a fascinating top-four contest.
With one Champions League spot left to claim, Juventus and Lazio head the pack with 64 points as an incredibly tight race reaches its final bend, while Roma sit sixth on 63 and Bologna are seventh on 62.
No fewer than 43 of the Giallorossi's points have been accrued since the turn of the year, and they have conceded just 10 goals and kept 10 clean sheets during that time.
Having steadied the ship and then sailed it straight up the standings, interim coach Claudio Ranieri is now nearing the end of a third and final spell at his boyhood club, and he would love to sign off by sending Roma back into Europe.
Sunday not only marks Ranieri's last home game in charge but also his 500th match as a Serie A manager, making him the 12th coach to reach such a milestone. He will lead Roma out at the Olimpico some 34 years and 251 days since his debut as Cagliari boss back in September 1990, and it is sure to be an emotional occasion.
However, recent history suggests that the Giallorossi may struggle to gain three precious points: they are winless in 10 league matches against Milan and also lost when the sides most recently met, in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
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The Rossoneri then went on to eliminate city rivals Inter Milan in the cup semis, but they ultimately failed to lift the trophy for a first time since 2003, losing to Bologna on Wednesday night.
Just days after beating their Emilian opponents in the league, Sergio Conceicao's men proved unable to score at Stadio Olimpico, before being stung by Dan Ndoye's winning goal early in the second half.
Success in Rome also represented their best route back into Europe, as they will return to the capital occupying eighth place in Serie A, trailing Roma by three points with just two games remaining.
Despite starting Conceicao's reign with victory in January's Supercoppa Italiana - when the tone was set for a series of fightbacks - they subsequently limped out of the Champions League and continued to toil in Serie A.
Milan are only in the mix thanks to a recent upturn in results, having won their last three league games - consistently inconsistent, they have failed to post four straight wins for over a year.
After the Rossoneri claimed maximum points from their last three away fixtures - against Udinese, Venezia and Genoa - only another win will keep their European dreams alive.
Team News
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Reacting to his team's first league loss in several months, Claudio Ranieri may make changes after a tepid display against Atalanta.
Only club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini and star man Paulo Dybala are sidelined by injury, so the veteran coach has plenty of options to choose from.
Top scorer Artem Dovbyk and Uzbek striker Eldor Shomurodov have often been paired in attack since Dybala was ruled out for the rest of the season, and they could join forces again.
Recently linked with a move back to Spain, Dovbyk has scored 12 top-flight goals since signing from Girona last summer. Over the past 90 years, only two players have managed more in their debut season with Roma - Pedro Manfredini (16 in 1959-60) and Tammy Abraham (17 in 2021-22).
Having swapped places with Alexis Saelemaekers, the latter is currently on loan at Milan - inevitably scoring twice in the clubs' Coppa Italia quarter-final - and he will again vie with Santiago Gimenez and Luka Jovic to start for Sunday's visitors.
One of the three should spearhead a 3-4-2-1 formation, supported by Christian Pulisic, who recently extended his contract having racked up 20 Serie A goal involvements this season.
Only Warren Bondo (ankle) and Riccardo Sottil (thigh) are set to miss out through injury.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Cristante, Kone, Angelino; Soule; Shomurodov, Dovbyk
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Leao; Gimenez
We say: Roma 1-1 AC Milan
Milan have scored the joint-most Serie A goals in the second half of this season (29), while Roma have conceded the fewest (10), setting up an intriguing contest at the Olimpico.
The hosts have lost some fluency in attack, so they may have to settle for a point, which could prove costly in a close top-four race. Their visitors, meanwhile, face more frustration.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
