Allianz Stadium forms the backdrop for a blockbuster top-four Serie A six-pointer as Juventus and Lazio go head-to-head on Sunday evening. Serie A will take a back seat at the end of the weekend to accommodate the Qatar World Cup, so three points here may settle the nerves in the home camp.
Massimiliano Allegri’s career in Turin was at a crossroads not long ago after Juventus experienced another woeful league start. However, the Italian manager has rallied his troops following a nightmarish form in the opening nine Serie A rounds (W3, D4, L2).
Despite bowing out of the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2013/14, Juventus have gone from strength to strength in Serie A. Often slammed for his uninspiring form, Moise Kean slotted home a second-half winner at Hellas Verona in midweek league action to inspire the Bianconeri to a fifth consecutive top-flight win without conceding.
Allegri has steadied the ship, but Juventus cannot afford to get complacent if they’re to register a 12th consecutive top-four finish in Serie A. Visiting Lazio will put the Turin heavyweights’ Champions League credentials on a stern test as they aim to return to Europe’s elite club competition after a two-year absence.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have recorded a mouth-watering 86% unbeaten ratio across the opening 14 Serie A matchdays (W9, D3, L2) to seize control of the runner-up spot. Level on points with defending champions Milan, albeit eight adrift of pacesetters Napoli at the start of this round, the Biancocelesti faithful can dream big this term.
Teenage prodigy Luka Romero notched up a late winner to propel Lazio to a hard-fought 1-0 win against top-flight debutants Monza at the weekend. After winning their last two league games in a row, the visitors will fancy their chances of beating Juventus at the Allianz Stadium in Serie A for the first time since 2017.
Match Preview
Juventus
Juventus have re-established the Allianz Stadium as a stronghold in Serie A, winning their last four home league fixtures by an aggregate scoreline of 9-0. Though not since March 2021 have the 31-time Serie A champions won four successive top-flight matches in Turin, they are in a prime position to make it happen this weekend.
It’s worth noting that Allegri’s men have made light work of an alarming injury crisis to reignite their top-four bid, leaving Inter in their wake at fifth in the table. Simone Inzaghi’s team found themselves on the receiving end of Juventus’ mini-revival last weekend, with the Bianconeri strolling to a 2-0 victory at this venue.
While waiting for standout striker Dusan Vlahovic to recover from injury, Juventus will fall back on their free-scoring Serie A form against Lazio. Since a goalless draw in 2012, they have netted a whopping 37 goals in their subsequent 19 league encounters.
Lazio
A newly-discovered defensive resilience has seen Lazio concede a league second-low eight goals this season, with only Juventus (7) shipping fewer thus far. But just one of those eight goals has come on hostile turf, where Sarri’s men have tallied four consecutive shutouts in the build-up to this trip.
Though it’s hard to see Lazio fending off Juventus, a piece of history they’ll be chasing may give them strength to end a dreadful defensive record against this opposition. The Biancocelesti have kept a clean sheet in five Serie A games in a row only once in the club’s history, doing so in 1998.
However, Lazio have conceded at least two goals on their last four league visits to Juventus (D1, L3), which may douse the optimism in the visiting camp. If they can score in four successive away league H2Hs for the first time since 2002, they may render any potential defensive slip-ups meaningless.
Juventus vs Lazio Potential Line-ups
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, Gleison Bremer; Juan Cuadrado, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Moise Kean, Arkadiusz Milik.
Lazio (4-3-3): Ivan Provedel; Elseid Hysaj, Nicolo Casale, Alessio Romagnoli, Adam Marusic; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Danilo Cataldi, Matias Vecino; Matteo Cancellieri, Felipe Anderson, Pedro.