AC Milan vs Lazio
AC Milan are one match away from being crowned Serie A winter champions. Despite the absence of talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the past month, the Rossoneri have held their own and can enter the Christmas break ahead of fierce rivals Inter and Juventus.
The league leaders’ last test of 2020 will see them face off against Lazio, who are not having nearly as impressive a season as they had last season prior to the lockdown.
However, the Biancocelesti reminded everyone with their 2-0 win in their big midweek matchup against Napoli that they are still a dangerous team that can defy the Serie A 2020 betting odds at San Siro.
Talking Points
Milan dealing with several injuries
After back-to-back draws against Parma and Genoa, Milan finally got back to winning ways with an impressive 2-1 away win at Sassuolo.
Rafael Leao scored within just six seconds, setting a new record for the fastest goal in Serie A history. Alexis Saelemaekers then doubled Milan’s advantage inside half an hour.
Leao and Saelemaekers became the seventh and eighth different goalscorers for Milan over the last five games – that includes five goals from four defenders – as they have shown they are more than capable of creating goals even without Zlatan.
Full-back Theo Hernandez has been instrumental to Milan’s success this season as he’s been responsible for a number of their Serie A 2020 highlights. After scoring a brace in Milan’s dramatic comeback against Parma and setting up a goal against Sassuolo, Hernandez now has three goals and five assists in 16 appearances this season.
Milan must continue to cope without Zlatan, though, as the ageless Swede suffered another injury setback which will likely keep him out until at least mid-January. And with Ante Rebic also dealing with a foot problem which saw him miss the Sassuolo match, Leao looks set to continue playing as Milan’s main striker against Lazio.
Manager Stefano Pioli is dealing with a bit of an injury crisis at the moment. Aside from Zlatan and Rebic, midfielder Ismael Bennacer and centre-back Simon Kjaer are also still out, and Sandro Tonali was subbed off with an injury.
Those absences could have a significant effect on a Milan side that has been surprisingly shaky at home this season. They have three wins and three draws in six matches at San Siro.
Captain Immobile in amazing form
After losing at home to Verona and drawing at Benevento, Lazio finally got back to winning ways by beating Napoli 2-0 at the Olimpico.
It was by far their biggest victory of what has been quite a disappointing season to date. That win sent them up to eighth in the table, tied on 21 points with Atalanta, who have a game in hand.
Once again, captain Ciro Immobile inspired Lazio to victory as he scored the opener after just nine minutes and set up Luis Alberto’s clinching second-half goal.
After a record-breaking season where he scored 39 goals in 2019-20, Immobile is having another terrific campaign for Lazio. He already has 13 goals and three assists in 15 appearances in all competitions and has scored in nine of his last 10 matches.
Immobile will once again be the main man for Lazio as he looks to score against a Milan defence which has not looked all that secure at home this season.
Immobile’s striker partner, Joaquin Correa, missed the Napoli match with a muscle injury and is questionable to play against Milan. His absence would be a big loss to Lazio, especially given his good record of scoring against Milan (3 goals in five matches).
If Correa does miss out, the central midfield duo of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto will need to support Immobile in attack.
History
Milan have had a significant edge over Lazio in terms of wins (12-5) in recent years. Although, there have also been 12 draws.
Last season saw the two split their two fixtures, with the away side winning on both occasions. Lazio won at San Siro 1-2 with Joaquin Correa scoring an 83rd-minute winner. Correa had also scored the winner at San Siro to win their Coppa Italia tie.
But Milan got their revenge as they hammered Lazio 3-0, with Hakan Calhanoglu, Zlatan, and Ante Rebic getting the goals.
Betting Tip
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AC Milan vs Lazio | 1X2 Draw @ 3.20 |
| December 24, 3:45 (GMT+8) |
The SBOTOP odds for this match are quite close. Milan are narrow 2.20 favourites over Lazio, who are priced at 3.25, and a draw is similarly priced at 3.25.
As good as Milan have been this season, there’s a decent case to made for Lazio coming away with a good result. Milan have not been entirely convincing at home and continue to deal with some significant injury concerns. Meanwhile, Lazio have an elite, in-form goalscorer who can cause their defence problems.
Taking all those factors into account, I won’t be surprised if Lazio are able to battle hard and grind out a stalemate at the San Siro.
| A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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