Lazio will be looking to make it three straight victories in Serie A when they travel to an out-of-form AC Milan on Sunday night.
Simone Inzaghi's side have won their last two in Italy's top flight to occupy fifth position in the table, while Milan are down in 10th having only picked up 13 points from their 10 matches this season.
Match preview
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Four wins, one draw and five defeats - that is how Milan have performed in their first 10 league matches of the season. They are six points off fourth-placed Roma heading into this weekend's fixtures, while just six points separate them from the bottom three after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Milan are 18-time Italian champions, but the Red and Blacks have not won the title since 2010-11. The Italian giants actually finished as low as 10th in 2014-15 but managed to claim fifth last season, which was certainly an improvement on their recent positions in the table.
Already on their second manager of the season, Stefano Pioli was appointed last month after Marco Giampaolo was relieved of his duties. Pioli has won one, drawn one and lost one of his three games at the helm, with the sole victory coming at home to SPAL on Thursday night.
Milan entered their last match off the back of a 2-1 loss at Roma on Sunday; it was always going to be a tough game despite SPAL's position in the table, but Suso struck just past the hour to secure three points.
Thursday's success might well be a springboard for the sleeping giants, who have won each of their last three home Serie A games against Lazio, including a 1-0 victory in the corresponding match last season.
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Lazio are flying at the moment having won three of their last five in the league, including their last two against Fiorentina and Torino. Indeed, Inzaghi's side put four unanswered goals past the latter on Wednesday night and will therefore enter Sunday's match full of confidence.
Only Atalanta (30) have scored more league goals than Lazio (22) this season, while only Atalanta (6), Inter Milan (8) and Juventus (8) have won more league matches. They are just three points off third, which is the position that they claimed at the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Lazio have finished eighth, fifth, fifth and eighth in each of their last four seasons in Serie A, but their form this season suggests that they could challenge for the top four. Indeed, they only just lost at an impressive Inter Milan towards the end of September, which was a result that followed a surprising 2-1 reverse at SPAL.
The White and Sky Blues actually won at Milan in the Coppa Italia last season en route to claiming the trophy. However, as mentioned, they have struggled to pick up league results at San Siro.
In Ciro Immobile, however, Lazio have a striker in stunning form. The 29-year-old has managed 12 goals in just 10 league appearances this season, including a double against Torino on Wednesday night.
AC Milan form: LLWDLW
Lazio form: LWDDWW
Team News
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Mattia Caldera remains unavailable for Milan due to a knee injury, but Pioli has no fresh concerns from the team that started against SPAL last time out.
It would not be a surprise to see the team XI sent onto the field this weekend, although Suso's second-half goal might be enough to earn the Spaniard a spot in the team.
Krzysztof Piatek - recently linked with Manchester United and Chelsea - will again lead the line for Milan, but the 24-year-old has struggled to find his best form in the early stages of the season, managing just three league strikes thus far.
As for Lazio, Silvio Proto and Ricardo Kishna are again expected to miss out, but Inzaghi also does not have any injury concerns from the team that put four past Torino.
Immobile is again expected to lead the line with support from Felipe Caicedo, while Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should both keep their spots in a central position.
AC Milan possible starting lineup: Donnarumma; Leo Duarte, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Hernandez; Kessie, Bennacer, Paqueta; Calhanoglu, Piatek, Suso
Lazio possible starting lineup: Strakosha; Radu, Acerbi, Patric; Marusic, Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Alberto, Lulic; Caicedo, Immobile
We say: AC Milan 1-1 Lazio
There has not been an awful lot between the two teams in their recent league meetings, and it is difficult to pick a clear favourite this weekend when taking everything into consideration. Lazio are certainly in the better run of form, but we expect Milan to claim a point on home soil.
Matt Law
