AC Milan will play their second game in the space of five days as they host SS Lazio at the San Siro on Tuesday night.
Vincenzo Montella’s team are coming off the back of a gritty 1-0 win at Sampdoria on Friday; Carlos Bacca providing the spark from the substitutes bench to nab all three points for the Rossoneri.
Inconsistency again appears to be the achilles heel of the Milan squad in the early season, having won two and lost two, meaning the visit of the capital club is a big season marker.
AC Milan are set for a blitzkrieg of fixtures, with this being the middle game of a spell where they will play three matches in just nine days. The first of the three was an underwhelming and arguably undeserved 1-0 loss to Udinese.
THE TEAMS
The should be no surprise when Milan line up in the 4-3-3 once again.
Sky Italia have reported that it is possible Giacomo Bonaventura will be rested against Lazio, with Mattia de Sciglio and Davide Calabria set to be the fullbacks.
Meanwhile, MilanNews state that Juraj Kucka and Jose Sosa are certain to start. The final midfield spot is between Locatelli and Montolivo.
Probable XI: Donnarumma; Calabria, Paletta, Romagnoli, De Sciglio; Kucka, Montolivo, Sosa; Suso, Bacca, Niang.
Injuries: Antonelli, Mati Fernandez, Bertolacci, Zapata.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
For Milan, the attention once again turns towards Carlos Bacca to see whether he can nail down his starting spot after scoring the winner in Genoa. Gianluca Lapadula started in his place in Round 4 after reports of a dispute between Bacca and Montella, but it was Bacca who had the last laugh.
If Manuel Locatelli gets the nod in midfield, it will be a great match to see just how ready he is for first team involvement. Game time is crucial in the 18-year-old’s development for the future.
Lazio will likely see their forward line led by Ciro Immobile, reportedly a target for AC Milan over the past year. He has bagged twice already and could be a serious handful for Paletta and Romagnoli with his presence and clinical finishing.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Last time the two sides met it was at the San Siro, with Milan and Lazio playing out a 1-1 draw on Matchday 30 during the 2015/16 season.
Marco Parolo gave the Aquile a first half lead thanks to a perfectly placed header past Gianluigi Donnarumma from a corner.
Carlos Bacca replied with a sumptuous finish before the break, poking the ball past Federico Marchetti with the outside of his boot after great hold-up play from Luiz Adriano.
The Rossoneri have lost just eight of their last 50 competitive games against Lazio, and have not lost at home in the league in this period.
