A place in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia could well be decided by the two strikers on show in Lazio versus AC Milan tonight.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) point out this morning, there is a lot that unites them. Both missed part of the season due to injury and are hungry to make up for lost ground. On one side is Valentin Castellanos, on the other is Rafael Leao, two starts hoping to illuminate the last-16 tie.
Taty’s rage
Castellanos returned last Saturday against Milan at San Siro. He had played his last Serie A match on Saturday October 4 in the 3-3 home draw against Torino. In October, during the first of a two-week international break, he suffered a grade-two tear to his thigh muscle, needing six weeks out.
It’s logical that he won’t be at his best, but the 28 minutes plus injury time at San Siro helped him regain his match rhythm. Now, Maurizio Sarri is ready to start him again (he has the advantage over Dia) because he knows that with Castellanos, the attacking trio has a different level.
Taty is much better than Dia at attacking the space in behind, he has more technique and more goals in his DNA. The Senegalese – who is soon to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations – hasn’t scored a single goal in the seven starts.
In short, the Argentine has been greatly missed by Lazio, and Biancocelesti fans are hoping he bounces back from the first half of the season, where he scored two goals (against Verona and Genoa) and provided three assists in six Serie A appearances.
Castellanos’ performance is a key factor in Lazio’s ambitions, as they aim to advance in the Coppa Italia and secure qualification for the upcoming European competitions. Last season, Taty scored 14 goals, 10 of which came in Serie A.
If he doesn’t return to those levels, everything will be more difficult. Sarri’s plan is clear: Castellanos’ cuts are needed to make the vertical runs of Zaccagni, Isaksen and the other wingers effective.
Rafa transformed
Leao has better numbers than Castellanos so far, even though like the Argentine he’s been sidelined for over 40 days this season. The Rossoneri injured a muscle in his right calf in mid-August and only regained reasonable fitness after spending the October break training at Milanello.
He now has five goals in Serie A, and it was he who defeated Lazio last Saturday, following a precise cross from Fikayo Tomori. Rafa is also well on his way to transforming from winger to centre-forward: he now faces the action, plays with his back to goal and makes smart runs.
The Portuguese is the No.9 the team have been missing, as Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku – who have occupied this role (the Mexican more often) – have yet to score in the league. Rafa, on the other hand, made an effort to understand what Max was asking of him.
While no coach had yet managed to get Leao to ‘detach’ himself from his beloved left flank, Allegri convinced him that closer to the opponent’s penalty area he would become lethal. It’s true that his six goals in 2025-26 (one in the Coppa Italia) didn’t all come from striker moves, but the ones against Bari and Lazio certainly did.
His numbers are telling: he makes fewer crosses (0.44 per game compared to 1.62 in 2024-25) and dribbles less (0.56 versus 1.74), but he scores more (a goal every 125 minutes, versus one every 291 minutes) and shoots more (1.22 per game versus 0.85). Allegri smiles and hopes Rafa doesn’t stop.
