AC MILAN v LAZIO: OPPONENT REVIEW

AC Milan v Lazio will wrap up a November that's been challenging for both teams. The Rossoneri opened the month at San Siro against Roma, a local rival of their next opponents. Lazio, meanwhile, failed to win on their last trip to San Siro, for the match against Inter. However, that 2-0 defeat is their only loss in the last eight Serie A games, an improvement on their difficult start to the season that saw them secure just three points from the first four matches.

Unable to reinforce the squad during the last transfer window, Lazio retained largely the same group of players as last season but changed coaches, bringing back Maurizio Sarri, who had guided them to second place in 2022/23. A similar approach to AC Milan's with Massimiliano Allegri, a fellow Tuscan and one of the two coaches against whom Sarri (who will mark his 150^th match as Lazio's manager on Saturday) has suffered the most Serie A defeats (8). Just five days after this clash, Lazio will meet AC Milan again in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, this time at the Stadio Olimpico.

NO GOALSCORER, THE TRUE FORWARD IS THE COLLECTIVE UNIT
Looking at the tactical side of things, Sarri has opted for a 4-3-3 formation, which sought him recognition during his time at Napoli. However, the formation that has led to Lazio's resurgence following their difficult start has been a 4-2-3-1 which favours the co-existence of Castellanos and Dia. The latter was forced to play alone for two matches due to the Argentine's recent injury, however he is in line to return for Saturday's clash.

Compared to the 2015/16 season, when he was able to employ the centre forward with the Serie A record for goals in a season (36), Sarri has relied on a collective effort for goals this season: the most prolific players on 3 (Zaccagni and Cancellieri), while their last 7 goals have been scored by 7 different players. AC Milan will have to pay particular attention to the opening and closing stages of the game: Lazio are first when it comes to goals scored after the 90^th minute, and have scored 27% of their goals in the first 15 minutes of play. 

DEFENSIVELY SOLID: CERTAINTIES BETWEEN THE STICKS AND RECORD CLEAN SHEETS
Thinking about Sarri's past experiences, the mind often goes to the star attackers that he has managed, but this season, it's all about Lazio's defensive solidity. In the 2024/25 season, the Biancocelesti were tenth in the standings for goals conceded (49), collecting nine clean sheets on the way between Ivan Provedel (5) and Chrīstos Mandas (4), the two goalkeepers that Baroni alternated throughout the season. With the two players at his disposal this season, Sarri has opted to place his full trust in Provedel, who has risen to the challenge.

In the first 12 games, Lazio are the side with the most clean sheets in the league (7), a record shared on a European level with Arsenal, PSG and Lyon. Provedel is the goalkeeper in Serie A with the highest number of saves (46) and avoided the highest number of goals against his side, ensuring of a difference of 6 when it comes to Expected Goals and those actually conceded. Mike Maignan is second in this respect with 4. 

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