Lazio Vs AC Milan: Two Giants Fall, Who Will Rise At The Stadio Olimpico?

Mattia Zaccagni, Lazio captain, will lead the joint attack with Taty Castelanos (photo: x @OfficialSSLazio)

JAKARTA - Lazio and AC Milan, two giant clubs that suffered a surprising defeat last week, will try to bounce back in Serie A's match on Saturday night, August 31, when they face each other at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome.

Lazio, coached by Marco Baroni, suffered a 2-1 defeat against Udinese in their last game. Lazio trailed by one goal in the first five minutes and conceded again after the break. Although their opponent, Udinese, was reduced to 10 players in the middle of the second half, Lazio was only able to score an entertainment goal through Gustav Isaksen in extra time.

This defeat ended their eight-match unbeaten streak since last season, and recorded a third straight defeat against Milan in Serie A without scoring a goal.

Coach Marco Baroni faces a big challenge in achieving a positive result in this match. Several key players at Lazio are having injury problems. Mario Gila is still absent due to a thigh injury, and Nicolo Casale who is also injured is unlikely to appear.

Left-back Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was involved in a car accident last week, may be able to rejoin the squad. In midfield, Nicolo Rovella, Matias Vecino, and Danilo Cataldi will compete for a defensive position. Mattia Zaccagni, Lazio captain, will lead the attack with Taty Castellos, expected to continue their slick performance at the Stadio Olimpico.

Now, the new coach will try to stop Lazio's defeat in Serie A's last three meetings against Milan without scoring, including a 1-0 loss to the Rossoneri when the two teams met in Rome six months ago.

AC Milan also suffered a bad result in their last game. After a 2-2 draw against Torino in Serie A's opener, Milan lost 2-1 to Parma, a newly promoted team. Milan conceded an early goal and although Christian Pulisic managed to equalize, defensive errors resulted in Parma's winning goal from Matteo Cancellieri at the end of the game. This is Milan's worst season start since 2011, with two games without a win.

Coach Paulo Fonseca faces great pressure to improve his team's performance. Alvaro Morata, one of Milan's main recruits, is still absent due to a thigh injury. Luka Jovic or Noah Okafor will replace Morata up front, joining Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic. Emerson Royal and Youssouf Fofana, who have just joined the team, may also have the opportunity to play if Fonseca make changes to the team formation.

Meanwhile, Milan have won five of their last six league games against Lazio, but they haven't recorded a consecutive away win against Biancocelesti since 2009.

Head coach Paulo Fonseca will try to do so on Saturday night, after starting his term at the San Siro uncomfortably. After a 2-2 draw with Torino on the day of Serie A's opening - after trailing two goals until the 89th minute - Milan suffered a shock defeat at Stadio Tardini last time.

For the first time since 2011, Milan have not won their first two league games, and although they have recorded the highest number of shots (43), the highest number of touches in the opponent's area (82), and the most direct attacks (10) in Serie A so far, there are still concerns about their fragile backline.

If Fonseca's new team loses again this weekend, Milan will make their worst start to the season of this century.

Marco Baroni's defensive choice will be limited by his absence, as Mario Gila is still in a thigh injury and Nicolo Casale - which has been heavily linked with a move to Bologna - may also not be available. Left-back Lorenzo Pellegrini was involved in a car crash last week but may still be able to join the squad.

On the other hand, Lazio's head coach has no concern in midfield, where Nicolo Rovella, Matias Vecino, and Danilo Cataldi will again compete for a place to stay right in front of the hosts' back line.

Meanwhile, supporting Taty Castellanos upfront, captain Mattia Zaccagni will try to continue his good record at the Stadio Olimpico - Italian winger was directly involved in four of Lazio's last six home goals.

Zaccagni's teammate on the left side of the Milan attack was Rafael Leao, who has yet to score goals this season but has created the most chances, sent the most balls into the opponent's box, and made the most shots (11, equivalent to Castelanos) in Serie A so far.

As Milan's main signing this summer, Alvaro Morata is still absent due to a thigh injury, so Luka Jovic or Noah Okafor will join Leao and Christian Pulisic upfront.

After both made their Serie A debut as substitutes against Parma, Emerson Royal and Youssouf Fofana's latest arrival could be involved again, perhaps even starting if Paulo Fonseca decides to try a formula that hasn't worked yet.

Player Composition Forecast:

Lazio: Provedel; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic; Dele-Basilu, Rovella, Guendouzi; Noslin, Castellanos, Zaccagni

AC Milan: Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Okafor