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AC Milan will hope to continue their good run of form and remain at the top end of the table when they host Lazio at San Siro on Saturday night.
Milan come into the game riding the crest of a wave having beaten Inter in round 12, which moved them above their city rivals and up into second place. However, Lazio have turned a corner after a rough start to the season, and are always tough opposition when Maurizio Sarri is involved.
During his press conference, Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the importance of remaining level-headed after the post-derby adrenaline rush, once again stressing that the top four is the target.
Game date: Saturday, November 29
Kick-off time: 20:45 (CET)
Venue: San Siro
Referee: Giuseppe Collu (VAR: Di Paolo)
Milan have amassed 25 points from their opening 12 games of the season in Serie A so far, and they have beaten the four other teams in the top five at present. Yet, the feeling is that there is still room for improvement, especially against lesser sides, which Lazio admittedly are not.
The Rossoneri might have an eye on the other games that will take place at the weekend, including the Derby della Sole between Roma and Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Depending on that result, there may be the opportunity to take top spot.
The headlines since the derby have been dominated by two players. The first is Mike Maignan, whose heroics without doubt preserved the clean sheet and the victory, as he made stunning saves to deny Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu, the latter from the spot.
The second player that has attracted the attention of the newspaper columns is Christian Pulisic, who scored the winning goal against Inter, his third in the last six derbies. Nobody in Serie A has more goals and assists than him since the start of the 2023-24 season (48, tied with Lautaro Martinez).
Here, we come to the first issue ahead of the game: Pulisic has not been in training since Tuesday having complained of muscle fatigue. In his presser, Allegri admitted that he is unlikely to play as things stand, while waiting for further indications.
The head coach also confirmed that Santiago Gimenez will miss the match as he is still a few days from getting back to full training due to an ankle issue. Zachary Athekame is expected to miss a few weeks having picked up a muscle issue on international duty.
Maignan, after his derby day heroics, will start again this weekend, whilst Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic will line up ahead of him. There is no need to change one of the best defences in the league.
Ahead of them, Saelemaekers has recovered in time for the clash, so takes his spot on the right, whilst Davide Bartesaghi is set to continue on the left flank. Between them, the midfield will not be changed; Rabiot, Modric and Fofana will start.
A decision has not fully been made yet, but it seems probable that Christopher Nkunku will start for Allegri on Saturday, partnering Leao.
Predicted Milan XI (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Leao.
Bench: Terracciano, Pittarella, De Winter, Odogu, Estupinan, Jashari, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci.
Injuries & suspensions: Athekame, Gimenez and Pulisic.
The opponents
Lazio’s rollercoaster 2025-26 began at the start of the summer, with the rather logical move to bring Maurizio Sarri back as the head coach with Marco Baroni departing. Things threatened to fall apart rather quickly, though.
It emerged that a transfer embargo had been imposed on the capital club due to financial irregularities. Sarri claimed he was not fully informed about not being able to do any incoming business until after he signed his contract, but decided not to walk away.
Lazio were able to make the signings of Nicolo Rovella and Luca Pellegrini permanent after their loans from Juventus ran out, costing €21m combined. Nuno Tavares was also made permanent from Arsenal, as were Samuel Gigot from Marseille and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru from Hatayspor.
The big sale was Loum Tchaouna to Burnley for around €15m, while Nicolo Casale headed to Bologna for €6.5m. Generally speaking though, they headed into the new campaign with the same core group of players.
The results early on mirrored the chaos, with Lazio losing to Como (2-0), Sassuolo (1-0) and Roma (0-1) in their opening four games, with a 4-0 win over Verona mixed in. Since then, though, they have lost only one match in Serie A and that came in round 11 against Inter, a 2-0 defeat at San Siro.
An impressive run has seen them beat Genoa 3-0 away from home and Juventus 1-0 at the Olimpico. They also have a couple of 0-0s in their last six games, versus Atalanta and Pisa on the road.
Like Allegri, Sarri has some selection issues to contend with. Gigot, Rovella and Cancellieri are all certain to miss the game, with Castellanos, Cataldi and Mario Gila all facing late fitness tests to see if they can be a part of the matchday squad.
It should be pretty straightforward for Sarri tomorrow, and he is not expected to revert from the starters. Provedel is expected between the sticks, whilst Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli and Marusic should make up the back four.
Guendouzi, Vecino and Basic are likely in the middle, whilst Isaksen and Zaccagni are the predicted wingers. However, the late recovery of Taty Castellanos has thrown the striker situation into a bit of doubt.
Boulaye Dia is currently expected to be preferred, but he is not a guaranteed starter. Sarri could play a wildcard.
Predicted Lazio XI (4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic; Guendouzi, Vecino, Basic; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni.
Predicted bench: Mandas, Furlanetto, Provstgaard, Hysaj, Pellegrini, Tavares, Belahyane, Noslin, Pedro, Castellanos.
Injuries & suspensions: Gigot, Rovella, Cancellieri, Cataldi, Mario Gila.
Head to head
Milan have played against Lazio 192 times in competitive games across their over 125-year history, and they have only faced Inter, Juventus, Roma and Torino more. The record reads 86 wins, 65 draws and 41 defeats in that spell, a 44.8% victory rate.
Last season saw two quite entertaining contests between the Diavolo and the Aquile. In round three at the Stadio Olimpico the two teams played out a 2-2 draw, with Pavlovic scoring an early opener before Castellanos and Dia quickly turned the game on its head in the second half. Leao came off the bench to net an equaliser, before the cooling break incident which became a saga.
By the time of the return fixture, Milan were on the canvas having been knocked out by the 2024-25 season. Zaccagni gave Lazio the lead at San Siro and just as Samuel Chukwueze looked to have earned a point late on, Pedro scored a 98th-minute penalty to ensure the spoils would be going back to the capital.
Key facts and stats
➤ There have been 99 official meetings between the two sides in Milan, with 57 Milan wins (most recent 2–0 in the 2023/24 Serie A), 26 draws (most recent 0–0 in the 2017-18 Coppa Italia) and 16 Lazio victories (most recent 2–1 in last season’s Serie A).
➤ Across all competitions, Milan and Lazio have not drawn in their last 9 meetings: 6 wins for the Rossoneri and 3 for the Biancocelesti. The last draw was a 0–0 in the Coppa Italia on 31 January 2018. In Serie A, the most recent draw dates back to 20 March 2016, a 1–1 result with goals from Bacca for Milan and Parolo for Lazio.
➤ Milan vs. Lazio has been the final of a domestic competition on two occasions: in the 1997-98 Coppa Italia, where Lazio won 3–1 in the second leg at the Olimpico after a 1–0 Milan victory at San Siro in the first leg; and in the 2004 Italian Super Cup, a one-off final in Milan won 3–0 by the Rossoneri.
➤ Milan have suffered just one defeat after 12 matchdays of the 2025-26 Serie A season: they are one of the two teams with the fewest losses, along with Como. Their only slip-up came on matchday one, 24 August, a 2–1 home defeat at San Siro against Cremonese.
➤ Milan are the team that make the fewest substitutions in Serie A 2025-26: of the 60 available changes across 12 matchdays, they have used 42.
➤ Milan are the side that have had the most penalties awarded against them in Serie A 2025-26: 4, level with Fiorentina, Napoli and Udinese.
➤ Lazio are one of three teams in Serie A 2025-26 with the most red cards: 2, the same as Parma and Como.
➤ Lazio have gone 297 minutes without scoring away from home; their last away goal was scored by Zaccagni in the 63rd minute of the 3–0 win at Genoa on 29 September.
➤ There have been 19 official meetings between Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri: the Milan coach leads the head-to-head with 11 wins to 4, plus 4 draws.
➤ Massimiliano Allegri made his Serie A coaching debut against Lazio: on 31 August 2008, his Cagliari side were beaten 4–1 by the Biancocelesti at the Sant’Elia.
➤ The first two meetings between Allegri and Sarri date back to the 2003-04 Serie C2 season: two 0–0 draws between Allegri’s Aglianese and Sarri’s Sangiovannese.
➤ Since the three points per win system was introduced (1994-95), an all-Rossoneri podium for scorers in Milan-Lazio official matches at San Siro: Shevchenko leads with 6 goals, Filippo Inzaghi follows with 4, third place with 3 goals each are Boban, Kakà, Ibrahimovic and Weah.
➤ With the goal scored in the Derby della Madonnina last Sunday, Cristian Pulisic has reached 16 goals in official matches since the start of 2025 and is among the players in third place for goals scored with Italian clubs.
He is alongside Pohjanpalo, Orsolini, Salvemini and Gomez (the latter two play in Serie C, with Benevento and Crotone respectively). First with 25 goals is Lautaro Martinez, second on 17 is Emiliano Pattarello (Arezzo, Serie C).
➤ Mattéo Guendouzi has so far scored 6 goals in Biancoceleste colours, including the one scored last Sunday against Lecce. Five of these goals came in the first 30 minutes of matches, with 4 even within the first 10 minutes of play.
➤ Tijjani Noslin scored his first goal in Serie A 2025/26 last Sunday; since playing for Lazio, the Dutch player has scored 7 goals in total, of which 6 at the Olimpico and only one away from home.
➤ Pedro is one of two players in Serie A 2025/26 who comes off the bench most frequently, 10 times, like Verona’s Sarr.
Ones to watch
Christopher Nkunku is a tap-in for this section; the Frenchman is yet to prove his worth, and with Christian Pulisic out, he is given a rare chance to start. The Frenchman should be able to slot alongside Leao easily, and he could get the ball rolling.
Youssouf Fofana will be under the microscope again this weekend. Ardon Jashari and Samuele Ricci are both in the fold for starting roles, and if the Frenchman gives any reason to doubt, he could be the next doubt in the team.
For the visitors, extra attention must be given to Mattia Zaccagni, who has been solid this season. With three goals so far, he regularly is a player of note for Maurizio Sarri, and he must be respected.
Alessio Romagnoli could also have a big say in the game. The Italian veteran is still playing at a top level in Serie A, and he could make things very difficult for an inexperienced striker partnership.
Prediction
This fixture has potential to go a few ways, but it is unlikely to really be a high-scoring affair. Lazio’s recent form suggests as much, and Massimiliano Allegri would much rather win 1-0 than play out a 3-2.
It is impossible to look past Milan, considering their extraordinary form coming into this game, and they may just nick three points this weekend, even if it is not in the most appealing fashion.
Milan 1-0 Lazio
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