Stadio Olimpico is the venue as Lazio host Milan for a massive Serie A top-four six-pointer. The Biancocelesti sit eight points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus but have two games in hand on Andrea Pirlo’s side and can ill-afford any slip-ups in the remaining part of the season if they want to compete in the Champions League next term.
A shocking 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo at the Stadio San Siro last time out brought Milan in an awkward spot, as they hold a fragile three-point lead on fifth-placed Napoli ahead of the kick-off.
Lazio vs. Milan Head-to-Head
Following a keenly-contested 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture back in late December, Milan can complete their first top-flight double over Lazio since the 2008-09 campaign.
Furthermore, having won both of their previous Serie A meetings with the opposition, the Rossoneri are looking to win three league matches against the Biancocelesti for the first time since 2009.
Since securing a 2-0 home triumph in February 2012, Lazio have failed to register a single shutout in their subsequent 17 Serie A games against Milan, conceding precisely three goals in the last two on the bounce.
At home, Simone Inzaghi’s men have drawn a blank in three of their last four H2Hs in all competitions (D2, L2), with Joaquin Correa’s 94th-minute equalizer in November 2018 (1-1) Lazio’s solitary strike in this sequence.
Teams Recent Forms
A humiliating 5-2 thumping at the hands of Napoli on Thursday halted Lazio’s five-match winning streak in Serie A, albeit both of their previous league matches have now produced 7+ total goals. Indeed, Stadio Olimpico has been a venue of entertainment lately, with each of Lazio’s last three Serie A games here seeing 3+ goals and both teams on the scoresheet.
Inzaghi’s men have turned into a force to be reckoned with since the calendar flipped to 2021, winning all eight league home fixtures this year, though 75% of those successes yielded a single-goal margin (6/8). After winning nine consecutive home Serie A matches, the Biancocelesti are looking to post a tenth straight victory in such contests for the first time since 1974.
Despite leading 1-0 at half-time, Milan suffered a 2-1 loss to Sassuolo last time out, having won all 17 previous Serie A games in which they were ahead at the break this season. High scoring has been a common theme in the visitors’ recent outings in the competition as four of the last five have witnessed over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring.
However, since a dismal 2-0 reverse away to Spezia in mid-February, the Rossoneri have racked up a four-game winning streak on the road in Serie A, netting precisely three goals in each of their last two league trips. Notably, Stefano Pioli’s men have scored 2+ goals in the division-highest 93.33% of their away top-flight fixtures this term (14/15).
Team News
Gonzalo Escalante and Luiz Felipe are the only notable absentees in the home team, with Felipe Caicedo returning to action after serving a yellow-card suspension against Napoli.
As for the visitors, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s comeback following a red-card ban may have to wait as the star striker picked up a muscle injury. Following him to the sidelines was Theo Hernandez, who is dealing with a minor muscle issue of his own.
Predicted Line-ups
LAZIO (3-5-2): Pepe Reina; Stefan Radu, Francesco Acerbi, Patric; Adam Marusic, Manuel Lazzari, Lucas Leiva, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto; Joaquin Correa, Ciro Immobile
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Pierre Kalulu, Simon Kjaer, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Franck Kessié, Ismael Bennacer; Alexis Saelemaekers, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ante Rebic; Rafael Leao