Verdict: Milan to Win & Piatek to Score Anytime
Best Odds: 3/1
Bookmaker: Paddy Power
Serie A hotshots Lazio and Milan will take a break from their league duties this week as they prepare to lock horns in a highly-anticipated first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. Cup competition remains both sides’ only chance of winning silverware this season and we should expect a heavily contested tie.
Lazio
Lazio head into the Milan duel on the back of a three-match losing run. Having been knocked out of the Europa League on a 3-0 aggregate loss at the hands of Sevilla, Lazio are now seeking instant improvement against Milan. Doing so will be easier said than done knowing that Inzaghi’s men also suffered a 2-1 defeat at Genoa and will head into the Copa Italia with a big dent to their self-esteem.
February seemed to have gone off to a great start for Biancocelesti following back-to-back 1-0 wins over Frosinone and Empoli but the things took a turn for the worse soon enough and the hosts will be in desperate need for improvement here. Sitting in sixth place in the Serie A standings, Lazio are huge six points behind Roma in fifth. They face a real prospect of missing out on European football with Atalanta, Torino and Fiorentina all breathing down their neck and Coppa Italia remains the only real prospect of salvaging their season as things stand right now. Lazio did well to eliminate Inter Milan in the previous round of the competition and will hope to repeat the heroics against the in-form rivals.
Team News
Senad Lulic picked up a knee injury on training this weekend and could miss the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal against Milan.
Simone Inzaghi is having plenty of selection problems with Luiz Felipe, Bastos and Wallace all still unavailable.
Milan
Rossoneri are quite a contrast to their Wednesday rivals. Rossoneri have enjoyed a scintillating spell of late with five wins from their seven-match unbeaten run. To further illustrate their fantastic form there is a number of two goals conceded during the aforementioned period.
Much of their flying form has been down to the January signing Krzysztof Piatek who hit the ground running at Milan and continued exactly where he stopped at Genoa. With seven goals in his first six matches for Milan, the Polish international currently boasts a tally of 18 Serie A goals. More importantly, the 23-year-old bagged further 8 in the Coppa Italia and will be the one to watch on Wednesday as well. The Polish forward scored a brace in the previous round as Milan dispatched Napoli in a 2-0 victory and will be difficult to keep quiet this time out as well.
Team News
Davide Calabria and Suso are both expected to get back into the starting line-up on Wednesday with Castillejo and Conti set to return to the bench despite doing great against Empoli.
Calhanoglu’s wife is expected to give birth to their child imminently but Gattuso is hoping his key man would start against Lazio. Bonaventura remains out while Zapata and Caldara are also unavailable.
Key Factors to Consider
- Lazio lost their last three matches in all competitions
- Biancocelesti won only one of their last 5 home matches against Milan
- Rossoneri are unbeaten in last seven matches across all competitions
- Krzysztof Piatek scored seven goals in last five games for Milan
- Milan lost only 2 of their last 10 matches on the road
Conclusion
Milan are the most in-form team in the Serie A at the moment and are fancied to get a win against Lazio in the first leg of their Coppa Italia tie. Rossoneri will be relying on Krzysztof Piatek for goals and we too are prone to back him to continue his impressive scoring run.
Verdict: Milan to Win & Piatek to Score Anytime
Best Odds: 3/1
Bookmaker: Paddy Power
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