Four days after grinding out a 2-1 win at Udinese, Lazio return to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday with something rare in Italian football: a perfect record. Three wins from three games have Gennaro Gattuso’s side sitting third in Serie A on nine points, level with AS Roma and Inter at the top. Standing in the way of a fourth consecutive league win is an AC Milan side that came away from Juventus with a 1-1 draw last weekend and arrives two points back, eager to close the gap.
What’s at stake
With the table still taking shape in the opening weeks, the gap between Champions League football and Europa League football is already emerging as the defining early-season battle. Lazio sit in the top three on nine points and are currently in a Champions League position. AC Milan are fifth on seven points, placed in the Europa League spots, and a win here would pull them level with the top three. Como are fourth on seven points as well, meaning this stretch of the table is tightly packed and a single result can shift the picture considerably.
For Lazio, three points would reinforce their status as genuine contenders at the top and add pressure on Roma and Inter, both of whom also hold nine points. A dropped result, on the other hand, would allow Milan to pull level and potentially slip Lazio down to fourth depending on goal difference. Milan’s calculation is simpler: a victory pushes them into Champions League territory and validates the start they have put together under Ruben Amorim.
How they got here
Lazio have won all three of their Serie A fixtures so far, beating Bologna away, Genoa at the Olimpico, and Udinese on the road last Sunday. Their only defeat across all competitions came in the Coppa Italia against Mantova in mid-August. Davide Frattesi, who moved to Lazio from Inter, leads the club’s scoring with three goals in the league, placing him third in the Serie A scoring charts. Gattuso has built a side that concedes sparingly: just one goal across three league games. AC Milan arrive with two wins and a draw, having beaten Torino and Venezia before the stalemate at Juventus. Amorim’s side have scored five league goals and conceded two, a solid return that earns them fifth place heading into this fixture.
Lazio are third with nine points, matching the top two. Milan are fifth on seven, two points off the pace. Como sit fourth on the same seven points as Milan, so the visitors know a win here changes their trajectory. Lazio have the home advantage and the momentum of a side yet to drop a point in the league.
Key battle to watch
The contest between Milan’s midfield and Lazio’s engine room looks like the match within the match. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Adrien Rabiot, and Yunus Musah give Amorim options to control the tempo and limit Lazio’s transitions, but Gattuso’s midfield features Frattesi, Nicolo Rovella, and Fede Dele-Bashiru, a combination that has been relentless in pressing and quick in transition. Frattesi’s three goals already this season show he is arriving late into the box at the right moments. If Milan’s midfield can restrict those runs and keep Lazio pinned deeper, they have the forward quality with Christian Pulisic and Gonçalo Ramos to hurt the hosts on the break. If Lazio win that central duel, Milan’s defensive structure will face a sustained test.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
Milan’s head-to-head record over the last ten meetings (five wins to Lazio’s four) is a reminder that the visitors are more than capable of taking points at the Olimpico. But Lazio have started this season with a cohesion and defensive discipline that Milan have not yet matched, and home advantage at a sold-out Olimpico adds weight to the hosts. Expect a tight, low-scoring contest where Frattesi’s ability to arrive in dangerous areas late could prove the difference.
AC Milan
Lazio
Christian Pulišić
Davide Frattesi