Soccer-Roma meet Milan in pivotal Serie A encounter

In what is shaping up to be an extremely tight Serie A season, all eyes will be on AC Milan's clash at home against AS Roma on Sunday, as two in-form sides meet after strong starts to the campaign.

Roma have 21 points, the same as leaders Napoli while Milan are fourth with 18 points, level with rivals Inter Milan in third. Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri might have a problem in attack as Rafael Leao has a hip injury while Santiago Gimenez has struggled to find the net. An option could be Ruben Loftus-Cheek to pair with Christopher Nkunku.

Two consecutive league draws suggest that, despite their quality, Milan's squad still lacks depth. Both Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot are most likely sidelined for the match. A win would be crucial in proving that Allegri’s project remains on course as they seek to keep up with Serie A’s early pace-setters.

Roma have made a remarkable start to the season, and their recent 2-1 victory over Parma further underlined their status as early title contenders. Gian Piero Gasperini's side may be without Evan Ferguson, although the Irish striker has struggled to find the net in recent weeks.

Napoli are still coping with a lengthy injury list, which manager Antonio Conte described as a curse after Kevin De Bruyne was forced off with an injury sustained while taking a penalty in the 3-1 win over Inter on Saturday. While striker Rasmus Hojlund has returned after a muscle injury, Napoli remain without goalkeeper Alex Meret, Stanislav Lobotka and long-term absentee Romelu Lukaku ahead of their clash with this season's surprise package, Como.

Cesc Fabregas's fifth-placed Como secured an impressive 2-0 win at home against Juventus earlier in the month and have one loss so far in the league campaign. Inter should have little trouble away at Hellas Verona on Sunday, although the absence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be felt, with the veteran sidelined for several weeks due to a thigh injury.