MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 17: Ardon Jashari of AC Milan in action during the Coppa Italia match between AC Milan and SSC Bari at Stadio San Siro on August 17, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
AC Milan give Ardon Jashari his first start with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rafael Leao in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, where Lazio have Taty Castellanos back with Mattia Zaccagni.
It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 20.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.
The winners of this tie will go on to face Bologna in the quarter-final.
As there is no extra time at this stage of the tournament, if the teams are level after 90 minutes, they go straight to a penalty shoot-out.
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 29: SS Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri during the Serie A match between AC Milan and SS Lazio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
This match arrives just days after a controversial and heated encounter at San Siro in Serie A, where Milan won 1-0 amid tension over a late VAR call regarding a Lazio penalty appeal.
That result put the Rossoneri joint top of the table, but their Coppa Italia adventure started early this season with wins over Bari and Lecce.
Youssouf Fofana, Santiago Gimenez and Zachary Athekame haven’t made the trip, while Christian Pulisic is on the bench after a muscular issue.
The big news is that summer signing Jashari finally gets his first start after fracturing his fibula in August.
Samuele Ricci, Koni De Winter and Pervis Estupinan also step into the starting XI, while Loftus-Cheek is given a more advanced role as support to Leao.
The Portuguese forward has a particular fondness for facing Lazio, as he scored four and provided five assists against them in 13 competitive games.
MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 29: Rafael Leao of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and SS Lazio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Lazio are still fuming after that late VAR call at San Siro on Sunday and have the usual injury problems, missing Danilo Cataldi, Nicolò Rovella and Samuel Gigot, while Elseid Hysaj was cut from the squad list.
Matteo Cancellieri is back in the group after injury and Castellanos returns for his first start since October 4.
Matias Vecino pulls the midfield strings with Matteo Guendouzi and Toma Basic.
ROME, ITALY – AUGUST 31: Valentin Castellanos of Lazio celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Hellas Verona FC at Stadio Olimpico on August 31, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Lazio vs. AC Milan line-ups
Lazio: Mandas; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Vecino, Basic; Isaksen, Castellanos, Zaccagni
Milan: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Ricci, Jashari, Rabiot, Estupinan; Loftus-Cheek; Leao
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