Lazio host AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on 12 September 2026 in a Serie A Matchday 4 fixture that puts two clubs under new management against each other, with both sides inside the top five and chasing European qualification.
Gennaro Gattuso and Rúben Amorim have never met as managers, with this their first encounter on the touchline. Gattuso took charge at Lazio on 23 June 2026 replacing Maurizio Sarri, while Amorim arrived at Milan on 15 June 2026 replacing Massimiliano Allegri.
Lazio arrive in excellent shape after winning all three of their opening Serie A fixtures: 1-0 against Bologna, 1-0 against Genoa and 2-1 against Udinese in August, their strongest opening to a season since 2012. AC Milan sit just behind in fifth with seven points from two wins and a draw, beating Torino 2-1 and Venezia 2-0 before a 1-1 stalemate with Juventus in early September where a late equaliser denied them maximum points.
Lazio will be without five players through injury: Danilo Cataldi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Adam Marusic, Nicolo Rovella and Patric are all out, leaving Gattuso without both first-choice central midfielders and forcing at least one positional reshuffle in defence. AC Milan have Matteo Gabbia out while Mario Gila is a doubt with a knee problem, leaving Amorim short of fit centre backs for a system that requires three.
Gattuso is expected to set up in a 4-3-3 with captain Mattia Zaccagni supplying most of the creativity. Davide Frattesi has been the standout so far, scoring in each of the opening three league games and without Cataldi and Rovella alongside him he will have no natural cover when he pushes forward, meaning he and Zaccagni carry a heavier load than Gattuso would ideally want this early in the season. Frattesi's box to box energy against Rabiot is the midfield duel to watch, while Zaccagni's movement between the lines will test Milan's wing back positioning throughout.
Amorim favours a 3-4-2-1 or 3-6-1 built around a structured back three with width from wing backs. Mike Maignan is the secure last line and Luka Modric alongside Adrien Rabiot makes for the most interesting midfield pairing on the pitch. Modric's passing range and Rabiot's ability to cover ground between the lines will be central to finding space between Lazio's midfield and back four, though the Gabbia absence and uncertainty over Gila could force adjustments in the back three that leave an unfamiliar centre back in a wider role.
Milan have won 87 of the all-time meetings to Lazio's 43, though the Olimpico has tilted toward the home side recently, with Lazio winning the last two encounters 1-0.
A 0-0 draw looks the likeliest outcome: Lazio's defensive record across three wins points to a low event match and the injury-reduced rotation makes it harder to see them creating chances in volume. Milan have enough quality in Modric and Maignan to limit damage but their own defensive doubts mean finding a way past a defence that has conceded once in three games will be their core problem. Two consecutive 1-0 home wins in the head to head record and a combined injury toll of six players across both squads both push toward the same conclusion.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
