Milan's rather soft start to the new year now seems a memory of the past as the Rossoneri have won won four competitive games on the trot. The weekend's important and expectantly tough 2-0 win against Catania in Sicily followed victories over Sampdoria, Cesena and Bari.
The gap between Massimiliano Allegri's team and second-placed Napoli remains four points as the Naples-based side won at the weekend too but with 47 points from 22 matches the Diavolo will aim to stretch that advantage to seven points by defeating Lazio tonight. Napoli are in action on Wednesday and would feel the pressure more severely.
Milan have lost just twice at San Siro in Serie A all season and have a tremendous form at home. The former Italian and European champions are unbeaten in 2011 with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic having found the opposition's net in every game he has started this year.
However, coach Allegri warns his players not to assume Lazio as easy pushovers and said on Monday, "Lazio are doing great things. They have good players and we will have to be very careful because we are at a crucial stage in the season where we cannot give away points.
"Our aim is to finish the campaign with 80 points and in order to do that we have to win 11 more games."
Regaining Confidence
Lazio coach Edy Reja has surrendered himself and his team as far as winning the Scudetto is concerned. Despite the Aquile being seven point behind leaders Milan in third place in Serie A at the moment, Reja claims that their objective between now and the end of the campaign is to win a Europa League slot.
Indeed, given the former Italian champions' wretched run of results in the new year Reja would have had no other choice but to restrain his side's ambitions. Exit from the Coppa Italia and just one win in four league encounters threatened to derail Lazio's season but the weekend's 2-0 victory over Fiorentina in Rome that followed a 3-1 humiliation in Bologna appears to have restored confidence and conviction in the team.
Reja believes that his players will need to showcase that same hunger and spirit they showed against the Viola and said on Monday, "If we play with the fighting spirit and the will to win that we showed against Fiorentina, we can go to Milan and play our game.
"Milan are very strong in attack but if we again show that defensive focus which helped us win against Fiorentina, we can surprise our rivals. We cannot forget that with the top teams we have done well this season."
TEAM NEWS
Milan
Boateng, Zambrotta, Inzaghi, Amelia, Nesta, Gattuso, Seedorf, Strasser, Ambrosini and Abate are injured. Van Bommel is suspended.
Allegri will deploy a 4-3-1-2 formation that will have Ibrahimovic and Pato upfront with Robinho playing just behind them.
Lazio
Del Nero, Meghni, Garrido, Rocchi, Diakitè and Floccari are unavailable for the trip to Milan as they are injured. Zarate is suspended.
Edy reja is likely to opt for a 4-3-1-2 system that see Kozak and Sculli line up as the two forwards upfront with Hernanes behind them as the creative mind.
Prediction
Lazio won at the weekend and will be keen not to lose again. However, Milan are looking formidable at the moment and given their superior class and quality the Rossoneri should collect all three points with relative ease.
Milan 2-0 Lazio 
