AC Milan’s trip to face Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico is being billed as a big chance to open the door in the Scudetto race.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report this morning, this is a ‘great opportunity’ for the Rossoneri. A win against Lazio tonight would almost seal a Champions League spot, but more importantly they have the chance to move within five points of Inter, who drew at home to Atalanta.
In the space of two matches, Mike Maignan and co. could halve the gap to the league leaders, going from a 10-point deficit before the derby to a five-point deficit this evening if they win against the Biancocelesti.
It would be a great confidence boost ahead of the final nine matches of the season. Chivu’s side face some tough games before and after the international break too (Fiorentina away, Roma at home, Como away) compared to the Rossoneri (Torino at home, Napoli away, and Udinese at home).
Allegri’s feelings
Allegri made a point at yesterday’s press conference not to mention the Scudetto, though he did make a joke about it: “The way to a comeback? Inter losing and Milan winning.” Then, turning serious, Max shifted the conversation to the big goal he’s declared since the start of the season.
“We have to watch out for who’s behind us, and the next goal is to get to 70 points because with the 60 we have now, we’re not going anywhere. To get back into the Champions League, we need another five wins,” he said.
Five wins certainly wouldn’t be enough to finish top of the table, but Milan do not want to think short-term and are therefore looking to tick off target number one quickly. The coach knows this group doesn’t need pressure, even though it already includes players who have won a Scudetto.
There are those who have won with Milan (Maignan, Leao, Tomori, Saelemaekers and Gabbia), those who were part of a Champions League title (Pulisic), as well as a Ballon d’Or winner in Modric (34 trophies), and players accustomed to lifting trophies like Rabiot and Nkunku.
At the same time, however, it’s impossible to curb the enthusiasm of the fans, who now believe even more in a lively end to the season, and tonight they will fill the away section of the Stadio Olimpico and the adjacent stands.
There will be approximately 10,000 travelling fans, and they will certainly provide energy. Even the team, whose primary goal is to focus only on their own results, are interested in how things are going on the other side of the city.
At the end of yesterday afternoon’s session, some players checked the Inter-Atalanta score in the dressing room on their phones, while some others watched the final minutes in the clubhouse at Milanello.
Then everyone boarded the bus headed to Malpensa, where the charter flight took off for Rome at 18:30 CET. Upon entering the private terminal and arriving at the hotel hosting the retreat (Modric signed shirts and posed for selfies), there were intensely focused looks and zero emotion.
Milan cannot be distracted by other results. The moment is undeniably important, however, and to be close to his team-mates the injured Gabbia – the soul of Milan’s spirit in the dressing room – will also be arriving in Rome today.
Precedents
At the Olimpico against Lazio, Milan secured a crucial victory thanks to a late goal from Sandro Tonali in 2022, en-route to the Scudetto win in which a gap to Inter was overhauled.
The Stadio Olimpico also brings back indelible memories for Allegri. There, thanks to a 0-0 draw against Roma, he mathematically won his first Scudetto, the one in 2010-11 as the head coach of the Rossoneri in his first spell.
It is the same site where Max also lifted the most recent trophy of his career, the 2023-24 Coppa Italia as Juventus manager. These precedents may make you smile, but they’re certainly no guarantee.
Allegri’s side are coming off two clean sheets and becoming the best defence in Europe’s topfive leagues, but they cannot take lightly a Lazio side that eliminated them in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.
Indeed, the memory of that defeat in December – sealed by Zaccagni’s goal – is fuelling the fire of Milan’s recovery mission, and also for Igli Tare, who returns for the first time as a league opponent to the club where he spent 18 years, both as a player and manager.
The Albanian sporting director, who will be facing several of his protégés (most notably Gila, Zaccagni and Marusic), is particularly keen on getting a result. Especially after the assist from Atalanta.
