AC Milan Prepares for Lazio Challenge: Amorim Sticks to His Strategy

The work at Milanello is done. Now comes the examination in Rome.

After back-to-back wins over Torino and Venezia, Milan’s stride checked slightly on Sunday night, a late Juventus equaliser turning three points into one and leaving a faint sense of unfinished business. That frustration now travels to the capital, where a third away game in four awaits against Lazio – and Ruben Amorim looks ready to double down on his ideas rather than rip anything up.

Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 takes shape

No surprises in the structure. According to MilanNews, Amorim will again roll out his preferred 3-4-2-1, the system he has been drilling since day one.

Mike Maignan keeps his place in goal and keeps the armband, the anchor behind a back three that is starting to feel settled. Koni De Winter is expected to remain the central reference point, with Mario Gila and Strahinja Pavlovic flanking him. The message is clear: continuity at the back, even after the late blow against Juventus.

Out wide, the competition has been fierce. On the right, Samuel Chukwueze is set to start, pushing Diego Moreira out of the XI after the latter got the nod in Turin. On the opposite flank, Pervis Estupinan is believed to have edged ahead of Davide Bartesaghi, giving Milan a more aggressive, overlapping threat on the left.

Midfield battles and a Rabiot dilemma

The heart of the side still carries one or two question marks. Yunus Musah is in line to start again in the middle, with Luka Modric alongside him as the deep-lying conductor. That pairing currently has the edge over Ardon Jashari.

But there is a twist on the table. Adrien Rabiot could yet be pulled back into the double pivot, which would open the door for Ruben Loftus-Cheek to step in as the playmaker. For now, though, the indications point in another direction.

At present, Rabiot is expected to continue in the right-sided attacking midfield role, operating just off the striker. On the left, Alphadjo Cisse is set to return to the starting XI, rewarded after his goal against Juventus and offering direct running between the lines.

Ramos to lead, Pulisic waiting in the wings

Up front, there is no debate. Goncalo Ramos will spearhead the attack again, the focal point for the two attacking midfielders buzzing around him.

Behind him, the bench tells its own story. Christian Pulisic is projected to make his first appearance of the season from there, a potentially game-changing option if the match tightens or Milan need fresh invention in the final third.

Barring late surprises, Milan should line up like this:

Predicted Milan XI (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Gila, De Winter, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Musah, Estupinan; Rabiot, Cisse; G. Ramos.

Subs: P. Terracciano, Torriani, Tomori, F. Terracciano, Diawara, Bartesaghi, Jashari, Comotto, Saelemaekers, Moreira, Loftus-Cheek, Hutchinson, Pulisic, Camarda.

Two wins, one late sting, and now a trip to the Olimpico. For Amorim’s Milan, this is the kind of early-season away day that starts to reveal what they really are.