Scudetto-bidding Milan and out-of-sorts Lazio renew hostilities in a mouth-watering Serie A fixture at San Siro on Saturday evening. Let’s look at our match preview for this contest.
Despite conceding an opening goal midway through the first half against Cagliari in midweek Serie A action, Milan entered halftime 2-1 up, courtesy of Noah Okafor’s first-ever Rossoneri goal and Fikayo Tomori’s tap-in. The absolute highlight of a one-sided affair at Unipol Domus occurred at the hour mark as Ruben Loftus-Cheek slotted home a stunning long-range strike to cap off an impressive 3-1 win.
A dreadful 5-1 defeat to arch-rivals Inter on matchday four remains the only blemish on an otherwise superb Serie A start for new-look Milan. Stefano Pioli’s men have won their remaining five league games this season, including a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona in their most recent outing at San Siro last weekend.
Level on points with Inter at the start of this round, Milan will be keen to consolidate their resurgence following the abovementioned Derby della Madonnina fiasco against a struggling Lazio side. Maurizio Sarri’s team found a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel on Wednesday, putting two unanswered second-half goals past Torino in a morale-boosting 2-0 home triumph.
Goals from Mattias Vecino and Mattia Zaccagni halted Lazio’s underwhelming three-game winless run in all competitions (D2, L1), restoring some of their confidence ahead of this daunting-looking trip. But the visitors remain stuck in the lower reaches in the lead-up to this encounter, so under-fire Sarri isn’t out of the woods yet.
Match Preview
Milan
A hard-fought victory over Verona stretched Milan’s stellar unbeaten Serie A streak at San Siro to 11 matches (W8, D3). Among the sides to have fallen victim to Rossoneri’s purple patch on home turf was Lazio, with Pioli’s side running out 2-0 winners in this corresponding fixture last May.
That result forms part of the hosts’ three-game winning league run against Lazio at home. Since Milan scored at least twice in all three victories during that sequence, another free-scoring performance could be in store. Defensive-wise, Pioli’s men look safe and sound.
Since a 5-2 hammering at the hands of Sassuolo last January, they’ve conceded one goal or fewer in all 11 home league outings.
Player to Watch: Rafael Leao
After starting Tuesday’s clash against Cagliari on the bench, Leao should return to the starting lineup this weekend. The Portuguese forward has netted within the first ten minutes of play in two of his last four Serie A appearances at San Siro.
Lazio
Given the circumstances, Lazio may settle for a point here. However, none of their last 11 top-flight encounters against Milan have ended level (W4, L7), diminishing the possibility of the shared spoils. Moreover, Sarri’s men have only drawn once in six Serie A games this season (W2, L3), suggesting this fixture could go either way.
The visitors have at least been one of the most entertaining teams on their travels this term. Each of their three away league matches has featured over 2.5 goals and both sides on the scoresheet (W1, L2), highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest.
Player to Watch: Mattia Zaccagni
Zaccagni sealed Lazio’s win over Torino with his third consecutive second-half goal in Serie A. Interestingly, his last first-half strike in the division came against none other than Milan.
Team News
Long-term absentee Ismael Bennacer will have some company in the treatment room this weekend. Pierre Kalulu, Mattia Caldara, and Rade Krunic are out with injuries, while there’s a slight concern over Luka Jovic’s match fitness. But Mike Maignan’s return to action will be a boost for Milan.
As for Lazio, ex-Rossoneri captain Alessio Romagnoli is the only doubt ahead of this trip. However, there’s optimism in the traveling camp regarding the Italian’s availability for this contest. The remainder of Sarri’s squad has passed for this matchday.
Milan vs Lazio Potential Lineups
Milan (4-3-3): Mike Maignan; Alessandro Florenzi, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yacine Adli, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, Rafael Leao.
Lazio (4-3-3): Ivan Provedel; Elseid Hysaj, Alessio Romagnoli, Nicolo Casale, Adam Marusic; Daichi Kamada, Danilo Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni.
Milan vs Lazio Prediction
As one of the best-performing home teams in Serie A this calendar year, Milan should have the upper hand of underperforming Lazio. But form often goes out of the window in these high-octane games, though we believe Pioli’s side should put another three points on the board.
Prediction: Milan Win
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