AC Milan and Lazio, two of the top teams in Serie A, meet on Saturday night at San Siro after both teams won by a combined score of two goals in midweek.
Milan’s victory brought them even with their arch-rivals Inter at the top of the table in terms of points, although their Roman counterparts snapped a three-match losing streak that had started before the previous international break.
Match preview
Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both scored in Milan’s 3-1 victory over Cagliari on Wednesday, helping the team finish the trip to Sardinia with all three points and a spot alongside its old rivals atop the Serie A standings.
Rafael Leao’s eighth-minute goal gave the Rossoneri a 1-0 victory over Verona at the weekend, making it back-to-back victories for them following their Milan Derby loss and being held to a scoreless draw at home by Newcastle United.
In fact, Inter’s 5-1 thrashing of Milan was the only loss the team suffered all season, and coach Stefano Pioli will now face another former club hoping for a much better result.
In the midst of a hectic schedule, Pioli’s team faces Lazio in Italy’s second city before their second Champions League match, against Borussia Dortmund, takes place in Germany the following week.
Milan has won each of their last three league encounters with the Aquile at San Siro, and by an aggregate score of 7-2, including a 2-0 victory when the teams last faced off in May.
The Rossoneri, who have a perfect home record this year, will undoubtedly start as small favorites because, despite placing second to Lazio in the final standings for 2022–23, they have appeared to narrow that deficit this season.
Lazio’s coach, Maurizio Sarri, felt a sense of sweet relief after his team posted just their second victory in seven competitive games because they had only four points after their first five games and were therefore languishing in the bottom part of the standings going into Serie A’s midweek round.
Following the worst start for the Rome club in twenty years, which included an opening-day loss to Lecce, they defeated a well-prepared Torino team on Wednesday, earning all three points at Stadio Olimpico thanks to goals from Matias Vecino and Mattia Zaccagni in the second half.
After two consecutive home draws against Atletico Madrid and Monza, Sarri changed up his starting lineup. In the end, it worked, as it brought Lazio even with their opponents in terms of points, but they are still eight points behind the leaders.
Such a deficit is partially explained by two losses from three excursions outside of the capital, thus enhancing their road performance will be a top objective in the coming weeks.
The Aquile make their first stop at San Siro, where they have lost six of their last seven league meetings with the hosts on Saturday, before leaving soon for a journey to Glasgow for next week’s Champions League match against Celtic.
Ciro Immobile, the all-time leading scorer, will look to score after going goalless in midweek, and after a year marred by injuries, the Lazio veteran would love to have his name displayed at one of Calcio’s most famous football cathedrals.
Team News
After a two-game spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury, Milan’s first-choice goalkeeper Mike Maignan should return to action on Saturday, with deputy Marco Sportiello dropping down to the bench.
Olivier Giroud, a fellow Frenchman like Maignan, is expected to resume his duties up front despite the fact that Noah Okafor scored his first Serie A goal last midweek. Rafael Leao, who was rested for the opening 68 minutes against Cagliari, is also expected to rejoin the home team’s front line.
Yunus Musah and Yacine Adli will compete for a spot alongside Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield as Rade Krunic sits out once more due to a muscular issue and long-term absentee Ismael Bennacer is still months away from being fit.
With Danilo Cataldi, Matteo Guendouzi, and Daichi Kamada vying for a spot in the starting XI, Lazio may make additional changes as they play their sixth game in as many days.
Nicolo Rovella, who is on loan from Juventus and played well against Torino on Wednesday, will aim to preserve his place in the visiting team’s engine room despite Maurizio Sarri’s resource rotation for the victory.
With no injuries, Lazio will take a full roster to Lombardy, led by captain Ciro Immobile, who has scored eight league goals versus Milan so far.
Possible starting lineup for AC Milan includes Maignan, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez, Loftus-Cheek, Adli, and Reijnders, as well as Pulisic, Giroud, and Leao.
Provedel, Hysaj, Romagnoli, Casale, Marusic, Kamada, Cataldi, Alberto, Anderson, Immobile, and Zaccagni might be the starting lineup for Lazio.
We say: AC Milan 2-1 Lazio
Milan are generally tough opponents on home turf, but Lazio recently relieved building pressure with a win and have already toppled the champions in Naples this term. The Biancocelesti cannot afford to lose much more ground to their hosts, so a point apiece would probably suit them and also leave the Rossoneri relatively content.
