AC Milan Vs Lazio: Rossoneri Wants To Coup The Top Of The Standings From San Siro

Christian Pulisic, AC Milan's hero (photo: x @acmilan)

JAKARTA - AC Milan prepare to claim the top of the Serie A standings when they host Lazio at the San Siro on Saturday night, November 29. This match became very crucial for the Rossoneri because their two rivals, Roma and Inter, only played on Sunday, November 30.

Milan came with full confidence after a big win at Derby della Madonnina last week, while Lazio also carried a positive momentum after rising and winning over Lecce.

Milan's success in beating Inter 1-0 at a derby last week not only ensured that the dominance of the city of Milan returned to the Rossoneri, but also confirmed that Max Allegri's troops were ready to hunt Scudetto again.

The victory itself came through Christian Pulisic's goal in the second half, who took advantage of the ball vomiting from close range. But Milan's true hero was the captain Mike Maignan, who made some extraordinary saves including parrying Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty.

The victory brought Milan up past Inter and closer to just two points from Roma still leading the standings. In the last six derbys since last season, Milan have won four of them.

They also had 12 games in a row without defeat, a record that emphasized the quality of defense and the depth of Allegri's tactics known as coaches with a solid defensive style. Of the initial 12 matches of Serie A, Milan recorded six clean sheets and only one loss, only Como was able to match the record for the one loss.

If Milan win again on Saturday night, they will move up to first place temporarily before Roma meet Napoli and Inter travel to Pisa. But Lazio came on positive capital and couldn't be underestimated.

Lazio have only lost once in their last eight games in all competitions since their defeat to Derby della Capitale at the end of September. The only defeat came against Inter at the San Siro earlier this month.

Last week, Lazio returned to winning ways after overthrowing Lecce 2-0 at the Olimpico. Felipe Anderson scored the opener, while his first goal came from Tijjani Noslin' goal Serie A in more than a year.

The victory made Lazio move up to eighth position, keeping the hopes of competing in the European zone. Their defense is also in outstanding form with five clean sheets from the last six matches. But sharp problems still haunt the front lines, especially when playing away. Lazio has been almost 300 minutes without scoring in an away game since Mattia Zaccagni broke into Genoa's goal two months ago.

Maurizio Sarri faced a difficult situation this season due to a long transfer ban and injury storm. But he still managed to maintain the stability of the team's game. Sarri and Max Allegri's meeting has been going on for 22 years since the Serie C2 era, and so far Allegri have won 11 wins from 19 meetings.

Both teams are likely to lower their best strength in this match, although the two will face each other again five days later in the Coppa Italia. Milan has the opportunity to lose Christian Pulisic who has doubts about appearing due to fitness problems, although Allegri has not ruled out the possibility of playing.

Pulisic has become an important player this year with 16 club goals. Santiago Gimenez is also confirmed to be absent, so Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku are almost certain to be the attacking duo in the 3-5-2 formation. Milan is also not reinforced by a full-back young Zachary Athikame.

On the other hand, Lazio's list of injuries is longer. Samuel Gigot, Matteo Cancelleryi, and Nicolo Rovella are still absent. Danilo Cataldi and Taty Castellanos are doubtful. Castelanos has only returned to training after seven weeks of absence and is likely to remain unplayed.

Boulaye Dia diperkirakan menjadi pilihan utama di lini serang meski belum mencetak gol sejak menggantikan Castelanos. Pedro yang sudah berusia 38 tahun kemungkinan kembali menjadi penghuni darut reserta.

Milan and Lazio's meeting in the last nine matches has never ended in a draw since January 2018. But this trend could have ended on Saturday night. Milan is indeed organized and strong defensively, but less productive. Lazio has a very strong backline lately. With the strength of the two teams against each other, this match is predicted to end with a score of 1-1.

Estimates of the AC Milan line-up are Maignan as goalkeepers; Tomori, Gabbia, and Pavlovic at the three defenders; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, and Bartesaghi in midfield; as well as Leao and Nkunku as two attackers. While Lazio are expected to come down with Provedel in goal; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, and Pellegrini in the back lines; Guendouzi, Vecino, and Basic in midfield; Isaksen, Dia, and Zaccagni filled the positions of the three attackers.