AC MILAN v LAZIO: MATCH PREVIEW

AC Milan are preparing to face Lazio on matchday 27 of Serie A, scheduled for Sunday 2 March at 20:45 CET at San Siro. Coach Sérgio Conceição's side will be looking to get back to winning ways after the recent league defeats whilst Baroni's Lazio come with the goal of consolidating their position in the standings, wanting to extend their lead over the Rossoneri in the race for European football next season. Both sides will be after precious points, we're in for an exciting game. Let's edge closer to the first kick-off in March with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
It's a complicated period for the Rossoneri who have suffered two consecutive defeats in the league - Torino and the rescheduled Bologna fixtures - and were eliminated from the Champions League. Despite the struggles, Coach Conceição has shown that he can compete at top levels and will be looking for a league win, also to make the most of a clash against direct rivals such as the Biancocelesti. Determination and a desire to get back on track will be fundamental in facing Lazio and getting our fans back smiling. With respect to the Dall'Ara, there is no news on the disciplinary - Musah is the only player on a booking - or injury fronts with the list of available players remaining the same: Emerson Royal, Florenzi, Loftus-Cheek and Walker. The latter three, anyway, should be able to return across the coming games. In terms of a possible line-up, Pulisic could be back in the starting XI, whilst either João Félix or Leão could start on the bench.

"Win, win, win. There is no option", Coach Conceição spoke on the eve of the game. "We are aware of the responsibility on our shoulders at the moment, for what has happened because of our mistakes and those things we cannot control. We cannot hang on to small instances of bad luck, we need to work on what we can control to get results. We need to give our most every day, the next game is always the most important. If we want to win in a certain way, with a lot of changes of pace and acceleration, this is needed. I never accept losing, I feel the same frustration as the fans".

LATEST FROM LAZIO
Having a great season so far, Lazio "remain" at San Siro after having lost the Coppa Italia quarter-final against Inter here in the midweek. Last weekend, the Biancocelesti registered a surprising goalless draw against Venezia, but in general, Baroni's side has shown solidity in defence and resilience. With 47 points on the board, Lazio are fully part of the race for European football next season and will be looking to make the most of every opportunity to inch closer to the top spots in the table. Good news for Baroni as Vecino is back: the Uruguayan player will start on the bench. Patric is doing better, but whether he can play has to be assessed. The situation for Romagnoli, former AC Milan captain, is uncertain: the options are Mandas or Provedel between the sticks, Marušić or Lazzari as right-back and Tchaouna or Noslin as a central striker in the 4-2-3-1 set-up. Three players are on a booking: Isaksen, Belahyane and Guendouzi.

"AC Milan are a very strong side with impressive individuals", Baroni's analysis in his press conference, "they are not lucky in certain situations. It's a great challenge because of the quality and strength of the opposition. We need these kinds of games, in the first half of the season, we played at a top level and we caused them trouble for 40 minutes and came out on top. In January, they changed their players, we will have to work as a team to limit their individual capabilities".

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan remain unbeaten in six of the last seven games against Lazio in the league (5W, 1D). After the 2-2 in the return fixture on August 31, the two sides could draw both games in a Serie A season for the first time since 2013/14. 
• AC Milan have won seven of the last eight league games against Lazio at San Siro (1L), including the four most recent; the Rossoneri have only once picked up five consecutive home wins against the Biancocelesti in Serie A: between December 1956 and January 1961.
• The Rossoneri are the only side this season to have not conceded a single penalty; the last goal conceded from the spot in Serie A came on 5 May 2024 - Mateo Retegui for Genoa. 
• Santiago Gimenez has faced Lazio four times, every time with Feyenoord (twice in the Europa League and twice in the Champions League), scoring five goals across these games (brace at the Olimpico on 8 September 2022, goal at home on 3 November 2022 and another brace, in Rotterdam, on 25 October 2023). Since coming to Europe, he has only scored more against PEC Zwolle (six) in all competitions.

WHERE TO WATCH AC MILAN v LAZIO
In Italy, AC Milan v Lazio will be broadcast on DAZN. To watch it in a different country, you can check the "Where to Watch AC Milan on TV" section under "Abroad." On the Rossoneri channels, the Matchday coverage on Milan TV will begin at 20:00 CET, leading up to kick-off, followed by interviews and a press conference with Coach Conceição. Don't miss the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, official social media channels and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
AC Milan v Lazio will be refereed by Gianluca Manganiello in his 105th Serie A game in charge. He has officiated for the Rossoneri eight times in the league, including once this season (Como 1-2 AC Milan) whilst he has officiated three games in 2024/25 for the Biancocelesti - away wins over Lecce and Cagliari (both 2-1). Linesmen will be Passeri and Costanzo, fourth official Fourneau, Mazzoleni will be on VAR duty and Pezzuto on AVAR.

On Friday 28 February, matchday 27 opened with Fiorentina beating Lecce 1-0. On Saturday 1 March: Atalanta 0-0 Venezia, Napoli 1-1 Inter and Udinese 1-0 Parma. Aside from AC Milan v Lazio at 20:45 CET, Sunday's schedule sees Monza v Torino (12:30 CET), Genoa v Empoli (15:00 CET), Bologna v Cagliari (15:00 CET) and Roma v Como (18:00 CET). On Monday 3 March at 20:45 CET, there will be Juventus v Hellas Verona.

Standings: Inter* 58; Napoli* 57; Atalanta* 55; Juventus 49; Lazio 47; Fiorentina* 45; Bologna 44; AC Milan 41; Roma 40; Udinese* 39; Torino 31; Genoa 30; Como 28; Hellas Verona 26; Cagliari and Lecce* 25; Parma* 23; Empoli 21; Venezia* 18; Monza 14.
_{* = a game in hand}

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