Neither Rudi Garcia nor Sinisa Mihajlovic can afford to lose when under-performing giants Roma and AC Milan meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night.
The already heavy pressure on both coaches increased after fifthplaced Roma were held to a draw at mid-table Chievo while Milan were beaten at home by Bologna.
A draw in the Eternal City might buy the bosses some more time to plan their respective assaults on the top three. The price of defeat, however, could be costly.
Giallorossi coach Garcia said: “Is my job at risk? I just work hard and keep my mouth shut. I think only about working hard and winning.
Rudi Garcia has confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Francesco Totti will be called up vs Milan. pic.twitter.com/kMNCR42iLg
— Calcio AS Roma (@CalcioASRoma) January 8, 2016“The most important match is always the next one. We have to return to winning ways and start climbing the table. We have to put a string of wins together.”
Iconic Roma captain Francesco Totti has returned to the squad although Garcia admits the forward is “not 100 per cent” so is likely to be on the bench.
Milan, meanwhile, looked to be on the mend heading into the new year. A four-game unbeaten run boosted the Rossoneri into sixth place but the shock loss to Bologna unravelled much of that hard work.
In the frame: Marcello Lippi.
Reports in Italy suggest World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi is being lined up to replace Mihajlovic at San Siro, but the Serbian remains convinced he can reverse Milan’s fortunes.
“The only way to get ourselves out of this situation is to get results and that’s what we want to do,” he said. “I still believe that with all our players available we can compete for the top three.”
Elsewhere, Fiorentina host struggling Lazio with the chance to go provisionally top again. Lazio boss Stefano Pioli, meanwhile, has blasted Manchester United-target Felipe Anderson after the Brazilian winger’s poor showing in midweek against Carpi.
