INTRODUCTION
The Seria A is providing us with some mouthwatering clashes at the final half of the season and it continues to do so with another big clash coming up on the cards now. Italian heavyweights Lazio and AC Milan square off at the Stadio Olimpico, the home ground of Lazio on today night. It will be the curtain closer for this game week in SerieA and what a match it is for the fans! Lazio is currently placed seventh on the standings in SerieA and is fighting desperately for a Champions League spot. They are 7 points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta with a game in hand. With a UCL spot insight, it’s a must-win game for the Biancocelestis to keep their hopes alive.
On the contrary, Milan will be hoping to regain the second spot in the standings after beating Lazio. Their title hopes look quite impractical now with 13 points separating Inter and them. They will still be trying to hold on to the 2nd position and proceed further in the league. There will certainly be no dearth of excitement when these two teams renew their rivalries yet again.
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Why you should watch for
There is absolutely no reason to give why anyone would be missing this high voltage encounter. The top four race is intensifying quite alluringly in the SerieA and the battle is mainly for the last two champions league spot between about 4 teams. Lazio now can’t afford to lose points at this stage in order to relieve their dream of playing the UCL again. They have to win all of their remaining matches and hope for results Togo their way to claim the 4thplace. Milan will also be looking to.
Consolidate their position at the top half of the table with a win. Juventus’s 1-1 draw with Fiorentina has opened the door for them to overtake them and reclaim the 2nd position. The match is heated up in all aspects right from the onset and is braced up for a fiery start. So, guys stay tuned in till the match starts and witness one of the best clashes of the SerieA. The scheduled time for kick-off is 00:15 IST and 18:45 IST.
Recent Form
Lazio
The Biancocelestis are playing this home fixture after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Napoli a few days ago. They were completely demolished and humiliated by the Ciuciarellis who outscored them in every respect. Lazio eventually lost 2-5 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in what was their heaviest defeat of the season in SerieA. Lorenzo Insigne started off things for Napoli after slotting home from a penalty. Minutes after Politano scored one from a Mertens assist and Insigne scored before the hour mark. A Mertens goal from a Piotr Zielinski assist and an Osimhen header from Lozano’s cross sealed the deal for them.
Ciro Immobile and Milinkovic-Savic tried to reduce the margin but it wasn’t enough. Inzaghi would hope for me to come out in all guns blazing to stop the mighty Milan side from winning. They would take confidence from the fact that they have won 5 consecutive matches in SerieA before losing to Napoli. It remains to be seen if Lazio can make a pretty EXCELLENT comeback by winning again Milan.
AC MILAN
The Rossoneri’s are coming onto this match in a similar positioned situation as that of Lazio. They endured a shock 1-2 home loss to 8th placed Sassuolo in the previous round. Milan went 1-0 up in the 29th minute courtesy of a goal from Hakan Calhanoglu. But they squandered the lead and conceded two goals within a span of 7minutes to usher their collapse. A brace from Giacomo Raspadori ensured that Sassuolo gets all three points. It was a game completely dominated by the visitors as they had 53% possession of the ball. They also took 16 shots at the goal and controlled the flow of the game quite aptly.
It’s high time that Milan should bring an end to their inconsistency and cement their place among the top two. They were on a four-game unbeaten run before losing to the Neroverdis. Pioli would be highly disappointed how his players fiddled away a 1-0 lead and lost the game due to defensive errors. After getting knocked out by United from the Europa league, they can now only hope to play in UCL next season. It would require some dominating play from the visitors to defeat Lazio who are quite tricky opponents.
Team News
Lazio
Lazio will not have much concerns about injuries or suspensions when they face Milan at home today night. Only the South American duo of Gonzalo Escalante and Luis Felipe will miss the fixture owing to injuries. Star striker Ciro Immobile and Luis Alberto, who picked up knocks in the previous match, would be fine to start against Milan. Inzaghi would-be boosted by the return of Ecuadorian Felipe Cicero who missed the last fixture due to accumulated yellow cards. Apart from the two injuries mentioned above, Inzaghi will have a fit squad to choose his starting XI.
Predicted Lineups
AC MILAN
Milan will have to travel to Rome with a big headache at the back of their mind. Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović is a major doubt for this encounter after suffering a muscle injury recently. Pioli will be poised to make a late call on the striker’s availability after reassessing his fitness. Theo Hernandez has returned from injury and will make a comeback to the side. Other than this two, there are no injury concerns till now for the Milan side.
Predicted Lineups
Head-to-Head
Lazio and Milan have met each other 55 times till date. Milan has a clear domination in these fixtures with 25 wins out of the total 55 matches played. Lazio have won only a meagre 10 times. The other 20 clashes have ended all square between them.
The most recent match between these two teams was the reverse fixture in December. It ended in a 3-2 win for the Milan side. Hakan Calhanoglu starred in that match with 1 goal and 2 assists. The other two goals were scored by Ante Rebiç and Theo Hernandez.
Players to watch out for
AC Milan
Hakan Calhanoglu
The Turkish man has been in astonishing form for the Rossoneri’s and is a proven performer in the team. He has the ability to swing matches into their favor by dint of his creative play. He already has 4 goals and 8 assists to his name. Calhanoglu is certainly a vital cog in Milan’s midfield and can provide goals upfront too. Calhanoglu will have to be on the top of his game if Milan is to win against Lazio.
Frank Kessie
Kessie is the undisputed star of Milan’s midfield and is the main reason why Milan are so dominant in midfield. His duel with Milinkovic-Savic could well determine the flow of the game. He is also a priority in scoring goals for them with a whopping 11goals and 3 assists in his kitty. Pioli would certainly expect a good performance from Kessiè in the midfield to boost his side’s chances of winning.
Lazio
Ciro Immobile
The Italian has been the consistent man for Lazio for years when it comes to scoring goals upfront. He is a fox in the box and is a constant threat in the opposition 18-yard area. This season too, he has chipped in with 21 goals and 5 assists for the Biancocelestis. He will be looking to polish his scoring boots once again when he faces a shaky Milan defense.
Serge Milinkovic-Savic
If Immobile is the star in the forward line, then the Serbian is the undeniable dignitary in the Lazio midfield. He has been a pillar in the midfield and is the driving force of the whole Lazio team. His inch perfect passes are an invaluable gem to them. He has also assisted the team with an extraordinary feat of 7 goals and 9 assists. He will be the man to Slavic look out for in the midfield for the Rome based side.
Conclusion
A fierce encounter will be waiting for us at the Stadio Olimpico when Lazio welcomes Milan for this heavyweight clash. Two teams will have different ambitions in mind while contesting in the clash. Milan will be looking to overtake Juventus and regain their 2nd spot in the SerieA. Their hopes of playing in next year’s champions league looks a certainty now. Meanwhile, Lazio will be expecting to win this match and reduce the gap between them and fourth placed Atalanta. They will definitely have the prospect of grasping the final Champions League spot in their mind. Expect a cagey confrontation to take place between the two teams with much seeds of excitement.
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