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After securing impressive two-goal victories in their respective midweek matches, two Serie A giants, AC Milan and Lazio, are set to clash at San Siro on Saturday evening. Milan's recent win not only earned them three crucial points but also catapulted them to the same point total as their arch-rivals, Inter Milan, at the summit of the Serie A table. On the other hand, Lazio managed to break free from a three-match winless streak that had lingered since before the last international break.
Milan's latest triumph, achieved during their Wednesday visit to Sardinia, was made possible partly due to the contributions of two English players. Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both found the back of the net in a 3-1 victory over Cagliari, propelling Milan to the pinnacle of Serie A alongside Inter.
The Rossoneri had already secured a 1-0 win over Verona the previous weekend, courtesy of Rafael Leao's early eighth-minute strike. Following their disappointing Milan Derby defeat and a goalless draw at home against Newcastle United, Milan has now strung together consecutive victories. It's important to note that Milan's lone loss of the season occurred in that tumultuous Derby della Madonnina encounter. Coach Stefano Pioli now finds himself facing another former club, Lazio, hoping for a much better outcome than his team's previous 5-1 drubbing by Inter.
Amid a jam-packed fixture schedule, Pioli's squad has an impending second Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund in Germany next week. However, their immediate focus is on a high-profile showdown with Lazio in Italy's second city.
Milan holds the upper hand in recent encounters with Lazio at San Siro, having secured victories in each of their last three league meetings, with a combined scoreline of 7-2 in their favor. With an impeccable home record this season, the Rossoneri undoubtedly enter this match as slight favorites. Despite trailing behind Lazio in the final standings of the 2022-23 season, they appear to have narrowed the gap in the current campaign.
First-choice Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan should play again on Saturday following a two-game absence due to a thigh injury, with backup Marco Sportiello moving 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.
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.
With just four points to their name after the initial five matches of the season, Lazio found themselves languishing in the lower half of the Serie A table as they approached the midweek fixtures. This made it all the more gratifying for their coach, Maurizio Sarri, when they secured only their second victory in seven competitive matches.
Lazio had experienced their worst start in two decades, beginning with a disheartening loss to Lecce on the opening day. However, they managed to overcome a well-organized Torino side on Wednesday, clinching the win with second-half goals courtesy of Matias Vecino and Mattia Zaccagni at the Stadio Olimpico.
Sarri decided to shake things up by making changes to the starting lineup after back-to-back home draws against Atletico Madrid and Monza. This alteration in personnel ultimately proved to be the winning formula, leveling Lazio's points tally with their opponents on that day, though they remained eight points behind the leading Milan clubs.
A contributing factor to this deficit was the two losses they had suffered in three away matches. Thus, improving their performance on the road became a top priority for the team in the upcoming weeks.
Their next destination is Glasgow for a Champions League encounter against Celtic, but before that, they will make a stop at San Siro, where they have struggled historically, losing six of their last seven league meetings with Saturday's hosts.
Ciro Immobile, the club's all-time leading scorer, had failed to find the back of the net in the midweek fixture. He now hopes to regain his scoring form, especially after a year plagued by injuries. For this Lazio legend, putting on a stellar performance at one of Serie A's most iconic football stadiums would be a dream come true.
Fans of AC Milan will hope for a repeat of their team's 1-3 victory over Cagliari in Serie A. In that game, AC Milan controlled 67% of the ball and attempted 17 goals, scoring six of them. Noah Okafor (40'), Fikayo Tomori (45'), and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (60') scored the goals for AC Milan. Six of Cagliari's 16 shots on goal were on target. Cagliari's goal came from Zito Luvumbo (29').
Eight goals have been scored by AC Milan in their previous six games under Stefano Pioli. In those same games, they have been the victim of seven goals, which is the total. AC Milan has won all 11 of their domestic league games entering this contest. A very strong home run.
Lazio enters this match after defeating Torino 2-0 in their previous Serie A match. Lazio had 50% of the possession in that match and 3 of their 6 shots on goal were successful. Lazio's goals came from Mattia Zaccagni (75') and Matas Vecino (56'). Torino's opponents made 7 attempts on goal, with 2 of them being successful.
When analyzing their recent results, Lazio has conceded goals in 6 of their previous 6 games, leading to a total of 9 goals for their opponents. Lazio has obviously had some issues on defense. However, we must now wait to see if a similar tendency will appear in this game.
