Serie A: AC Milan Out to Torment Lazio Once Again

Lazio vs AC Milan

AC Milan are keen to assert their dominance over Lazio this season when they’ll visit them at the Stadio Olimpico for their Sunday Serie A clash.

I Rossoneri still lead the Italian top-flight table with 71 points despite their ups and downs. And should they win against seventh-placed I Biancocelesti with 56 points, then they’ll get the bigger breathing space that they need.

Inter Milan are right behind them in the standings and they’re ready to pounce should the table leaders suffer a slip-up. So, along with a victory over Lazio, AC Milan are hopeful that their city rivals will lose in their game against AS Roma.

On the other hand, Lazio are still fighting for a place in Europe and a victory here would do them a huge favour since it’ll get them over to fifth or sixth place.

Talking Points

AC Milan’s defence keeps them afloat

I Rossoneri’s backline is something that shouldn’t be overlooked as they’ve kept six successive clean sheets here in Serie A and this will be key for their remaining games. The last time that they were scored on was in late February in a 1-1 draw against Udinese.

Stefano Pioli has done a masterful job in bringing the best out of his lineup despite their share of injuries, especially with Alessio Romagnoli, Alessandro Florenzi, and Simon Kjaer facing spells on the sidelines.

Young and towering defenders Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu have formed a strong partnership at centre-half to provide adequate cover for goalkeeper Mike Maignan, while Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria are both versatile full-backs.

In the final third, though, they’ve been hit-or-miss – as shown during their Coppa Italia semis loss against Inter Milan. Their top scorers have been struggling and they need to find their shooting boots fast.

Olivier Giroud’s production has taken a noticeable hit as he has just scored once in his last 10 games, while Brahim Diaz is in a rut after having a solid start to this season.

So far, leading scorer Rafael Leao has been their main threat, while Ismael Bennacer and Junior Messias have shown glimpses of their full potential.

Look for I Rossoneri to try and regain their scoring form against a Lazio side who have conceded a lot of goals in their most recent meetings.

Ciro Immobile needs help from his Lazio co-stars

These last few games will make or break Lazio’s season. After AC Milan, they have a chance of getting more positive Serie A 2022 results since they’ll take on Spezia, Sampdoria, Juventus, and Hellas Verona next.

Capocannoniere frontrunner Ciro Immobile will spearhead their charge and he’ll have to carry the whole squad on his back as usual. He is, after all, the league’s leading scorer with 25 goals and 29 total in all competitions.

He’ll definitely need help from his co-stars in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Pedro – who have nine goals each. Lazio will have their fingers crossed as Pedro has been dealing with a calf knock while Milinkovic-Savic was ill the other day.

History

I Rossoneri ruined I Biancocelesti’s Coppa Italia hopes when they blitzed them in the quarter-final with a 4-0 tally and they won 2-0 in their reverse fixture last September.

Rafael Leao was responsible for three of the six goals, while Olivier Giroud had two and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Franck Kessie had one apiece.

Should AC Milan win on Sunday, it’ll be their first league double over Lazio since the 2008/09 season where Carlo Ancelotti was still their head coach. At the same time, it’ll be the first time since 2004/05 where they’ve beaten them in all three encounters (1 in Cup, 2 in the league).

Lazio have lost 13 of their last 14 Serie A game against the clubs that started the matchday on top of the standings. The bright spot for them, though, is that they’ve been in similar recent form with AC Milan as both calcios have won three of their last five Serie A matches.

Betting Tip 

We’re in for a cagey affair as the SBOTOP Serie A 2022 odds have priced AC Milan and Lazio near each other. The visitors have the slight edge at 2.43, while the hosts are installed at 2.87 and chances for a draw are at 3.20 in the 1X2 market.

AC Milan may have been unconvincing during these past few weeks, but they’re still the team to beat in Serie A for a reason and we’re backing for them to get all three hard-earned points this weekend.

 

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