Lazio vs AC Milan – News and Probable Lineups

After keeping their distant hopes for the Scudetto alive, AC Milan will aim to build on their derby victory from last week as they head to mid-table Lazio on Sunday evening.

The win over Inter Milan has reduced the Rossoneri’s gap in the Serie A title chase to seven points, but they need another victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

Match overview

With a final opportunity to halt their city rivals’ advance, Milan seized the occasion to stop league leaders Inter last Sunday.

The encounter at San Siro was decided by the unexpected scorer, Pervis Estupinan, whose goal in the first half was enough to secure victory in this season’s second Derby della Madonnina.

Both teams are still contending for the Scudetto; however, Milan is seven points behind Inter, with just 10 rounds left to play and cannot afford to slip up.

A recent 1-0 loss to Parma ended the Rossoneri’s impressive 24-match unbeaten streak in Serie A, but back-to-back victories, both without conceding, have been a perfect remedy.

Surpassing most projections, Max Allegri’s squad have accumulated 60 points from 28 matches thus far, and only on two occasions in the past two decades have they reached at least 63 after 29 matches.

A win this week would match that remarkable figure, with recent history favoring them: Milan has emerged victorious in six of their last nine top-flight clashes with Lazio.

The hosts will likely prefer to think back to a recent Coppa Italia encounter, which they won 1-0 at Stadio Olimpico, as the last 12 meetings in Serie A have seen four victories each.

Lazio’s cup campaign has been the only silver lining in an otherwise bleak season, with their semi-final’s second leg against Atalanta scheduled for next month, but their league form has been inconsistent.

Despite a narrow victory over Sassuolo on Monday night, thanks to a last-minute goal from Adam Marusic, the capital team has garnered only 37 points thus far— their lowest tally at this stage since 2010.

This places Lazio 10th in Serie A, facing the possibility of missing European football for a second consecutive season, having secured just two victories in their last eight league fixtures.

Frequent fan protests have contributed to their struggles at home, while head coach Maurizio Sarri has been involved in a public dispute with club president Claudio Lotito.

As they prepare for a third straight match at home, the Biancocelesti—and particularly Sarri—will hope that some of the absent supporters return to encourage them against Milan.

Team News

Despite the ongoing absences of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Matteo Gabbia, Milan has seen Santiago Gimenez return to full training after being sidelined for more than four months due to an ankle injury.

Adrien Rabiot will be serving a suspension, so either Samuele Ricci or Ardon Jashari may slot into the visitors’ midfield setup, which is helmed by the ever-reliable Luka Modric.

When fully fit, Gimenez will face strong competition for a starting position up front: Christopher Nkunku, Niclas Fullkrug, Christian Pulisic, and Rafael Leao are also in contention for two forward spots.

The latter has directly contributed to five goals in his last five league appearances against Lazio and is expected to pair with Pulisic once more.

On the other hand, Lazio’s attack is predominantly spearheaded by Milan academy graduate Daniel Maldini, whose father and grandfather were both club legends— he found the net against Sassuolo last time out.

Nicolo Rovella and Samuel Gigot remain sidelined, while vital midfielder Danilo Cataldi is out with a calf injury; another former Milan player, Alessio Romagnoli, may also miss out.

With first-choice Ivan Provedel having undergone shoulder surgery, Edoardo Motta will continue as the starting goalkeeper after making his Serie A debut on Monday.

Lazio probable starting XI:

Motta; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Dele-Bashiru, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Zaccagni

AC Milan probable starting XI:

Cousins; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Estupinan; Pulisic, Leao

While Milan excels at maintaining clean sheets, Lazio struggles in front of goal, opening the door for the Rossoneri to exact revenge for their cup loss back in December.

They have proven to be a formidable side under Allegri, but the hosts have been significantly affected by injuries, coupled with ongoing tensions among fans, the management, and the head coach.