AC Milan throw down the gauntlet

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One way or another, it now seems as though the Serie A title will be heading to the San Siro, although which team lands the title has yet to be decided. In what is proving to be a tense conclusion to the 2021-22 campaign, the two Milanese giants are set for a thrilling fight to the finish, after crucial victories against Roman opposition.

Inter Milan opened the weekend with a straightforward victory against AS Roma, temporarily pushing them to the top of the Serie A league table. The result was also a heavy blow for the side managed by Jose Mourinho, seriously hurting their slender chances of clinching a top four place, leaving Juventus with breathing space in fourth position.

Meanwhile, the recent slump in form continued for Napoli, who failed to win for the third league game in a row. This time they were beaten 3-2 at Empoli, who scored three times in the last ten minutes, making a spectacular late comeback having fallen two goals behind. Despite seeing their title bid fall apart, the Neapolitans will console themselves with having practically secured Champions League football next season.

After the two key rivals had played their games on the Saturday, it was time for AC Milan to make a statement of their intentions on the Sunday, although Lazio were never going to make life easy for them in the Italian capital. That much was evident after just four minutes, when Ciro Immobile opened the scoring for the hosts.

Nevertheless, this was an AC Milan side on a mission and with only one objective in mind. Losing this game was unthinkable and they laid siege to the rival goal. According to WhoScored statistics, the final score of Lazio 1-2 AC Milan was more than justified, as the visitors created 25 total shots compared to the 7 of the hosts.

Early in the second half, Olivier Giroud put AC Milan back on level terms after great work by Rafael Leao providing the assist. But despite the constant threats on the Lazio goal by Stefano Pioli’s team, it almost seemed as though an important victory would evade them. But as the clock ticked into stoppage time, Sandro Tonali latched onto a headed assist by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, deservedly clinching all three points for AC Milan.

The value of that win cannot be underestimated, as AC Milan rose back to the top of Serie A, perhaps even gaining a psychological advantage over their city rivals in the process. Despite the fact that Inter Milan have a game in hand, they arguably have a tougher final schedule of games to play, starting with a tricky away trip to Bologna in midweek.

After another away game against Udinese, then a home encounter against Empoli, attention for Inter Milan will switch to the Coppa Italia final. Their bid for the double and facing Juventus could prove to be a huge distraction, after having eliminated AC Milan in the semi-finals. At least, that’s what fans of the black and reds will be hoping.

For their part, the final four league games for AC Milan will be far from easy, starting with a home encounter against Fiorentina, who are still chasing a place in the Europa League. Next is a trip to Verona, while the penultimate match of the season at home is against Atalanta, also chasing a top six position and the Europa League. The final game of the season is away at Sassuolo, where AC Milan has won each of their last five league visits.

But given the Serie A title race could go right down to the wire, what do the bookies think? Well, pretty much everywhere you care to look, oddsmakers regard Inter Milan as firm outright favourites, while AC Milan remain great value to usurp the reigning champions. This is why comparing the best football betting sites will certainly be worthwhile, via the latest list of trustworthy online bookmakers reviewed and rated by Asiabet.

Their experts only recommend the most trusted companies, evaluating the quality of customer support provided, reliability of desktop and mobile access, ease of payments and withdrawals, plus reputation and history. Of course, the latter is what AC Milan will be hoping can push them over the finishing line, as they hunt a first Serie A championship since the 2010-11 campaign. Hopefully, the Rossoneri club will earn the title they richly deserve.