Lazio, AC Milan Duel for Place in Coppa Italia Final
It finished all square at San Siro in the first leg of this Coppa Italia semifinal fixture between AC Milan and Lazio. After a goalless draw in Milan, the teams will now face off in Rome where they will both be hoping to progress to the final to face either Atalanta or Juventus.
Lazio are the most recent winners of the competition between these two teams. The Eagles lifted the trophy in 2013, when they defeated their bitter local rivals Roma in the final. Meanwhile, you would need to go back to 2003 to recall the last time Milan won the Coppa Italia.
Here's everything you need to know heading into the second-leg on Wednesday night:
Classic Encounter
In the opening game of the 2011/12 season, Milan played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Lazio.
Le Aquile took an early 2-0 lead at San Siro thanks to goals from Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cisse; a sublime solo effort from the German, was followed by a bullet header from Cisse gave the visitors a shock lead.
The title holders did not take long to respond however. Zlatan Ibrahimovic responded just eight minutes later with a close-range finish, before Antonio Cassano leveled the score shortly after with a header of his own to spare Milan's blushes on the opening day of the season.
Key Battles
Ciro Immobile vs Leonardo Bonucci
Ciro Immobile has found new life at Lazio. After unsuccessful stints at Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla, Immobile has helped propel the Eagles back into contention for UEFA Champions League football this season.
The 28-year-old is the top scorer in Serie A this season with 23 goals, and with five goals in his last three games, Immobile is in fine form heading into this Coppa Italia showdown.
However he will be up against a Milan defence which has not conceded a goal in five games. Leading the back line is Leonardo Bonucci, who seems to have steadied the ship and found some form during Milan's excellent run.
Patrick Cutrone vs Stefan de Vrij
At the other end of the pitch, there will be a similar battle happening as Milan have a striker of their own in fine form.
Patrick Cutrone, 20, has been stealing headlines in recent weeks, after he bagged his 14th goal of the season in all competitions. With some tipping him to be the heir to Filippo Inzaghi, a lot of pressure has been placed on his young shoulders.
With four goals in his last five games, Cutrone is in a similar rich vein of form as Immobile. In his way will be Lazio central defender Stefan de Vrij. The fixture will be decided by one of these two strikers, but both will be coming up against equally capable defenders trying to keep them out.
Team News
Martin Caceres continues to recover from a knee injury and will not be available. Bruno Jordao and Pedro Neto also sustained injuries earlier in February, and are unlikely to be available until March.
Right back Andrea Conti is nearing a return for Milan after suffering a knee ligament injury last September. It is unlikely that he will be fit in time for Wednesday's match.
Potential Lazio Starting Lineup: Strakosha; Wallace, de Vrij, Radu; Marusic, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas, Parolo, Lukaku; Anderson, Immobile
Potential Milan Starting Lineup: G. Donnarumma; Calabria, Bonucci, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Montolivo, Biglia, Bonaventura; Suso, Cutrone, Calhanoglu
Prediction
Lazio have overcome a recent run of poor form with three straight wins. Before this, the Eagles had not won any of their previous five matches, which included a draw and a defeat at the hands of Milan.
Meanwhile, Milan keep going from strength to strength after their 2-0 win over Roma extended their unbeaten streak to 12 matches. They have also won five games on the bounce heading into this semi-final.
Lazio have been strong at home this season and have lost at the Stadio Olympico just three times. Milan have also won just once in their last six visits to Lazio. However, it is not a fortress and considering Milan's recent record against Lazio and their resurgence under new manager Gennaro Gattuso, they may just scrape the result here.
Prediction: Lazio 0-1 Milan
