After both enjoyed two-goal victories in midweek, Serie A heavyweights AC Milan and Lazio convene at San Siro on Saturday evening.
While Milan’s win brought them level on points with arch-rivals Inter at the top of the table, their Roman counterparts ended a three-match winless run stretching back to before the last international break.
Partly thanks to strikes from two Englishmen, Milan emerged from Wednesday’s trip to Sardinia with all three points and a place alongside their old foes at the top of the Serie A standings, as Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were both on target in a 3-1 win over Cagliari.
The Rossoneri had claimed a 1-0 victory over Verona at the weekend, courtesy of Rafael Leao’s eighth-minute goal, so after their Milan Derby defeat and being held goalless at home by Newcastle United, back-to-back wins have since been secured.
Indeed, Milan’s only loss of the season came in that disastrous Derby della Madonnina, and coach Stefano Pioli now meets another former club aiming to fare far better than in his team’s 5-1 thumping by Inter.
Amid an action-packed schedule, Pioli’s men have their second Champions League fixture looming on the horizon, as they meet Borussia Dortmund in Germany next week, but first a high-profile clash with Lazio awaits in Italy’s second city.
Following a 2-0 success when the sides last met in May, Milan have won each of their last three league meetings with the Aquile at San Siro – and by an aggregate scoreline of 7-2.
With a flawless home record so far this season, the Rossoneri surely kick off as slight favourites, as despite finishing behind Lazio in the final 2022-23 standings they have apparently closed that gap this term.
Having only four points on the board from their first five games left Lazio languishing in the bottom half of the table heading into Serie A’s midweek round, so posting just a second win from seven competitive matches came as sweet relief for coach Maurizio Sarri.
Following the Rome club’s worst start for two decades – in which an opening-day defeat to Lecce set the tone – they overcame a well-drilled Torino side on Wednesday, when second-half goals from Matias Vecino and Mattia Zaccagni earned maximum points at Stadio Olimpico.
Sarri freshened up his starting XI after consecutive home draws against Atletico Madrid and Monza, and that change of personnel ultimately did the trick; taking Lazio level on points with their visitors – albeit eight adrift of the Milan clubs.
Two losses from three trips outside of the capital partly accounts for such a deficit, so improving their record on the road will be a priority in the weeks ahead.
Soon set for a trip to Glasgow, for next week’s Champions League game against Celtic, the Aquile first stop off at San Siro, where they have lost six of their last seven league meetings with Saturday’s hosts.
After firing another blank in midweek, all-time top scorer Ciro Immobile will aim to get back among the goals, and following an injury-scarred year, the Lazio legend would now love to put his name in lights at one of Calcio’s most iconic football cathedrals.
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.
Although Noah Okafor scored his first Serie A goal in midweek, Maignan’s fellow Frenchman Olivier Giroud is set to resume his duties up front, while Rafael Leao was rested for the first 68 minutes against Cagliari and should also return to the hosts’ front line.
As Rade Krunic misses out again due to a muscular problem – and long-term absentee Ismael Bennacer remains several months from fitness – Yunus Musah and Yacine Adli will vie for a place alongside Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield.
Lazio, meanwhile, may make more changes as they play their fifth game in the space of a fortnight, with midfield trio Danilo Cataldi, Matteo Guendouzi and Daichi Kamada all pushing for a place in the starting XI.
Maurizio Sarri rotated his resources for the win over Torino, but Juventus loanee Nicolo Rovella will hope to keep his role in the visitors’ engine room after impressing on Wednesday evening.
A clean bill of health means that Lazio travel to Lombardy with a full squad, led by captain Ciro Immobile, who has notched eight league goals against Milan to date.
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Adli, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Hysaj, Romagnoli, Casale, Marusic; Kamada, Vecino, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni
We say: AC Milan 3-2 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 will narrowly to lose the game to their hosts.
