Following the important win against Sassuolo, after having drawn the previous two games, Milan have regained some confidence and will be looking to end 2020 with another win. On Wednesday evening, they will take on Lazio at the San Siro with only one goal in mind, as Inter are still just one point behind.
It certainly was crucial for Stefano Pioli’s men to get back to winning ways at the weekend, putting in a very good performance despite the tough injury situation. However, the test is far from over as the injury list now has a new name on it, at the time of writing (Tuesday evening).
Sandro Tonali was forced off with a muscle injury last time out and it remains to be seen if he will be available to start. In any case, it’s another opportunity for the Rossoneri to show just how strong they are, even without their stars in the starting eleven. A win tomorrow, therefore, would indeed be a huge achievement.
TEAM NEWS
As mentioned, Milan are struggling with injuries on several key players, which has made it a bit difficult for them as of late. Ismael Bennacer, Matteo Gabbia, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Simon Kjaer will miss the game tomorrow, while Ante Rebic and Sandro Tonali are working hard to make a final-minute recovery.
The back-four will be the same as against Sassuolo, with all four of them keen to keep a clean sheet tomorrow after coming so close last time out. Theo Hernandez, who claimed a great assist against Sassuolo, will be one of the key players as his attacking contribution is irreplaceable.
The midfield, on the other hand, has a few issues as Franck Kessie will miss the game due to suspension. This means that the Rossoneri currently only have Rade Krunic available for the midfield tandem. The solution would be to play Hakan Calhanoglu alongside the Bosnian, if Tonali doesn’t recover that is.
Tonali’s condition, in short, has a domino effect on the rest of the starting eleven. With Calhanoglu in a deeper role, Pioli would be forced to field Brahim Diaz in the No.10 role and Rebic or Jens Petter Hauge to the left. After the record-breaking goal, Rafael Leao will remain in the centre-forward role, per the latest reports.
Probable Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Calabria, Kalulu, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Tonali (Calhanoglu), Krunic; Saelemaekers, Calhanoglu (Diaz), Rebic; Leao.
STATS
- Lazio have lost 66 matches against AC Milan in Serie A (W29 D59), only against Juventus (82) have the Biancocelesti suffered more defeats in the Italian top flight. On the other hand, AC Milan have drawn more Serie A games against Lazio (59) than against any other side.
- Milan are unbeaten in 29 of their last 30 home games against Lazio in Serie A (W18 D11), their only defeat in this period was in their most recent meeting at San Siro (November 2019) – the Biancocelesti have never won two away matches in a row against the Rossoneri in the Italian top flight.
- Milan have scored 2+ goals in each of their last 15 Serie A games and could become only the second team in the history of the top five European leagues to enjoy 16 consecutive games with more than one goal scored in a single calendar year (after 18 for Barcelona in 1948).
- Since 2017/18 – the season he joined the Rossoneri – AC Milan have only played eight Serie A matches without Frank Kessiè: two wins, two draws and four defeats (25%-win rate without the Ivorian player, whilst their win percentage is 52.5% with him on the pitch).
- Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has scored 12 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions since the start of October: only Robert Lewandowski (19), Erling Haaland (14), Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo (13 each) have netted more among the top five European leagues.
PREDICTION
If the Sassuolo game was tough, this will be even tougher and it will be interesting to see Milan’s approach. Sure, Lazio haven’t started their season in the best way, but they have most of their key players available for this clash. Both sides will be under pressure to win, for different reasons, and this should make it very interesting.
That being said, there is no clear favourite for this clash although the Rossoneri still haven’t lost a game all season. It’s a big opportunity, therefore, for Lazio to be the first team to break the trend but with it being away from home and all, I expect the outcome to be a draw.
AC Milan 1-1 Lazio
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