A depleted AC Milan will strive for glory when they invite Lazio to the San Siro for the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Thursday.
AC Milan will be hoping to advance to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia when they battle with the always difficult Lazio at the San Siro stadium on Thursday.
The Rossoneri may come into the clash as the favourites, but they will need to be at their best in order to not receive any unexpected surprises from the visitors.
With just one win from their past five Serie A games, the Romans don't find themselves in ideal conditions to confront such an important encounter, but they do count with a very solid squad that have the capabilities to cause an upset.
Lazio have a favourable history over their rivals in the Coppa Italia, after having beaten Milan in four out of the last five encounters between the sides in the competition.
Milan's last triumph over Lazio in the Coppa Italia was back in the 2001-02 season, with a 5-3 aggregate score in the quarter-finals over two legs.
Both teams reached this instance of the competition in dramatic fashion, as while Milan needed an extra-time winner from Alexandre Pato to overcome Novara last week, one week earlier his fellow Brazilian international, Hernanes, assured Lazio of progression with a stoppage-time winner over Verona.
If recent statistics are any indication of what to expect on Thursday, the game is likely to be very evenly balanced, as the last four meetings between the sides have ended all square. Unlike on those occasions, the Coppa Italia quarter-final must have a winner.
Massimiliano Allegri, the coach of Milan, has been forced to make a number of changes to his side due to injuries. Midfielders Alberto Aquilani, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gennaro Gattuso will miss the match due to injury, as will striker Pato, who has been ruled out for up to a month.
Due to the absence of Pato, his position will be occupied by 38-year-old veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi, who will partner Robinho in the attack. Allegri has decided to rest leading goal-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic for precaution.
Like Allegri, Lazio coach Edy Reja will be unable to count with the services of four players, these being Cristian Brocchi, Libor Kozak, Lorik Cana and Stefano Mauri, who are all sidelined due to a variety of different reasons.
Despite this, Reja will field an extremely aggressive side, with Hernanes, Miroslav Klose and Tommaso Rocchi expected to provide the attacking firepower.
The Rossoneri may come into the clash as the favourites, but they will need to be at their best in order to not receive any unexpected surprises from the visitors.
With just one win from their past five Serie A games, the Romans don't find themselves in ideal conditions to confront such an important encounter, but they do count with a very solid squad that have the capabilities to cause an upset.
Lazio have a favourable history over their rivals in the Coppa Italia, after having beaten Milan in four out of the last five encounters between the sides in the competition.
Milan's last triumph over Lazio in the Coppa Italia was back in the 2001-02 season, with a 5-3 aggregate score in the quarter-finals over two legs.
Both teams reached this instance of the competition in dramatic fashion, as while Milan needed an extra-time winner from Alexandre Pato to overcome Novara last week, one week earlier his fellow Brazilian international, Hernanes, assured Lazio of progression with a stoppage-time winner over Verona.
If recent statistics are any indication of what to expect on Thursday, the game is likely to be very evenly balanced, as the last four meetings between the sides have ended all square. Unlike on those occasions, the Coppa Italia quarter-final must have a winner.
Massimiliano Allegri, the coach of Milan, has been forced to make a number of changes to his side due to injuries. Midfielders Alberto Aquilani, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gennaro Gattuso will miss the match due to injury, as will striker Pato, who has been ruled out for up to a month.
Due to the absence of Pato, his position will be occupied by 38-year-old veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi, who will partner Robinho in the attack. Allegri has decided to rest leading goal-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic for precaution.
Like Allegri, Lazio coach Edy Reja will be unable to count with the services of four players, these being Cristian Brocchi, Libor Kozak, Lorik Cana and Stefano Mauri, who are all sidelined due to a variety of different reasons.
Despite this, Reja will field an extremely aggressive side, with Hernanes, Miroslav Klose and Tommaso Rocchi expected to provide the attacking firepower.
