Maurizio Sarri reveals Ciro Immobile will only be used against Milan ‘in case of extreme need’ due to an injury scare and explains his Lazio midfield picks.
It kicks off at San Siro at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).
Taty Castellanos gets his first start in the centre-forward role, although Sarri explains this was not so much a planned squad rotation as forced upon him, unlike confirming Nicoló Rovella in the middle of the park.
“It is normal squad rotation between Guendouzi and Vecino. Immobile came off against Torino with a flexor issue, he was very worried, so between the coach, player and medic, we decided he will only be used today in case of extreme need,” Sarri told DAZN.
The Biancocelesti have been worryingly inconsistent from game to game, or even at times during the same 90 minutes, and are coming off a midweek 2-0 win over Torino.
“I always expect a good performance, but this is a strong opponent and a tough place to play, so it will also be important to know how to suffer under pressure and stay in the game.”
It has been said that the mental strength is the main problem at Lazio, so has the coach been able to find a breakthrough?
“Contact and dialogue with the players is a daily process. We always try to train the mentality of our players, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”