The Stadio Olimpico sets the stage for a mouth-watering Serie A showdown between familiar rivals Lazio and Milan. Two teams who have yet to lose a league match this season will face off in the Italian capital on Saturday.
Despite the ominous turmoil off the pitch, it was an excellent start to the season for Lazio. After narrowly beating Bologna and Genoa 1-0, Gennaro Gattuso’s side overturned a second-half deficit to beat Udinese 2-1 at the Estadio Internazionale, with summer signings Albert Gudmundsson and David Fratesi also scoring.
However, Lazio’s success on the pitch has not changed their fans’ stance towards the current ownership. Indeed, the Azzurri’s most loyal supporters will boycott the clash in an ongoing protest against President Claudio Lotito’s regime. The quiet atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico may work in Milan’s favour.
The Rossoneri suffered a heartbreaking encounter at the Allianz Arena last weekend, with Juventus equalizing in injury time to give new manager Ruben Amorim a perfect start to three Serie A games. In the 1-1 draw in Turin, Milan lost its two consecutive wins at the beginning of the season.
More encouragingly, teenage starlet Alfacio Cisse scored his second league goal for the 19-time Italian champions, living up to the early-season hype in the absence of Christian Pulisic on the bench. Still, it’s doubtful whether Milan deserved a point as they were soundly beaten by Juventus.
Game preview
Lazio
Gattuso, who has led Lazio to their best start with three consecutive Serie A wins since the 2012/13 season, is about to face his toughest test yet. The 48-year-old played for Milan between 1999 and 2012, becoming one of the club’s legends before returning to the Rossoneri as head coach between 2017 and 2019.
The former midfielder must now put his feelings aside if he is to maintain a perfect league record in charge of Lazio as they try to improve on last season’s disappointing ninth-place finish. Considering Lazio have lost just one of their last seven home league games (4 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), there’s no better place than the Stadio Olimpico.
The 1-0 victory over Milan at the end of last season was part of the team’s winning streak and the Azzurri have every reason to expect another good result here. In fact, they are unbeaten in their last three home games against the Rossoneri in all competitions (W2, D1), conceding two clean sheets in the process.
Milan
Milan’s lackluster performance in Turin may have spoiled the good atmosphere at the San Siro and they will no doubt make up for it in the capital. A return to winning ways in such a tricky fixture will lift their spirits ahead of next week’s Europa League opener against Benfica.
It goes without saying that Milan can’t take anything for granted, especially because of their mixed performances away from home. Amorim’s team has been hit and miss in their last seven Serie A games (3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses). In other words, these three losses are the only decline in Milan’s last 21 away league games (12 wins, 6 draws).
However, Milan have made an agonizingly slow start under Amorim, which could undermine their hopes of a first away win against Lazio since March 2024. All seven of their Serie A goals this season have come after half-time and the Rossoneri must find a way to start fresh if they are to avoid another frustrating afternoon.
Team news
In addition to Danilo Cadadi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Adam Marusic and Nicolo Rovira, Lazio may also be without Luca Pellegrini and Patrick, who still lack match quality. Despite scoring the winning goal in Udine last weekend, Gudmundsson is more likely to come on as a substitute on Saturday, with Tijani Noslin expected to start for the home side.
Amorim, meanwhile, will have his entire Milan squad ready for the game after Matteo Gabbia returned to training earlier this week. Samuel Chukwueze and Cisse should both return to the starting line-up after making decisive contributions off the bench against Juventus, while Sanquon Diawara could make his Serie A debut at the expense of former Lazio star Mario Guira, who is yet to be 100 per cent fit.
Lazio vs Milan potential starting lineup
Lazio (4-3-3): Mandas; Mussolini, Deki, Profstegaard, Tavares; Fratsi, Bellaharn, Taylor; Isaacson, Noslin, Zakani.
Milan (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Diawara, Derwent, Pavlovich; Moreira, Modric, Moussa, Chukwueze; Rabiot, Cisse; Ramos.
Lazio vs Milan prediction
Lazio’s unbeaten start and strong home record make this a tricky task for Milan, but the Rossoneri head to the capital determined to bounce back. With several Lazio players doubtful and their most loyal supporters set to depart, the visitors could take advantage of the unusual circumstances at the Stadio Olimpico to return to winning ways.
Prediction: Milan win
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