The penultimate round of Serie A fixtures closes out with a blockbuster showdown between Juventus and Lazio at the Allianz Stadium. Even though the Bianconeri have nothing but pride left to play for, they will be out to redeem themselves to the fans following a week to forget.
Juventus followed up an embarrassing 2-1 league defeat to relegation-threatened Genoa with Wednesday’s heartbreaking 4-2 Coppa Italia loss to arch-rivals Inter. Ivan Perisic’s extra-time double to decide the final condemned the record-time Italian champions to a first trophyless season since 2010/11.
Given Juventus’ thoroughly underwhelming campaign, it comes as no surprise that head coach Massimiliano Allegri has come under severe scrutiny. The ex-Milan boss will hope to relieve himself of some pressure by hindering Lazio’s bid to qualify for next season’s Europa League group stages.
A potential victory in Turin will guarantee a place in Europe’s second-tier competition next term. Indeed, the Biancocelesti head into proceedings holding a two-point lead on sixth-placed Roma. That is thanks to a two-game winning Serie A streak, including a 4-3 win at Spezia in their most recent league trip.
Match Preview
Juventus
Despite nailing another Champions League qualification with few games to spare, Juventus have failed to live up to expectations this season. Even though a triumph over Lazio in their final home game of the season won’t impact their position in the standings, Allegri’s men will seek all three points.
Juventus have defeated Lazio in 12 of their last 15 meetings in Serie A (D1, L2), including a comfortable 2-0 triumph in the reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico. Under Allegri’s stewardship, they have racked up an eye-catching ten wins in their 11 top-flight games against this opposition (L1), showing the experienced tactican has Lazio’s number.
Juve’s defensive frailties could throw a spanner in the works. They have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six Serie A matches (W3, D1, L2), their longest such run in the competition this season.
However, Juventus are firing on all cylinders again. They have netted precisely two goals in their last five outings across all competitions, while they last failed to score in a thumping 3-0 Champions League home defeat to Villarreal in mid-March.
Lazio
Lazio have enjoyed a noticeable upturn in form in the build-up to this trip. After a run of two consecutive Serie A games without winning (D1, L1), they have won the last two in a row by an aggregate score of 6-3, scoring on either side of half-time on both occasions.
Though Lazio will take the field as outsiders, they will hardly roll over, given what’s at stake. Seeking their first Serie A victory in Turin since 2017, the Biancocelesti could win three successive league matches for the first time since December 2020.
Particularly lethal beyond half-time, Maurizio Sarri’s men have bagged a league joint-high 39 second-half goals in this Serie A season. On that basis, it’s somewhat strange that ‘only’ 50% of their away league fixtures this season have featured goals beyond the 75th minute.
Worryingly, though, only Sassuolo and Spezia have conceded more first-half goals on the road than Lazio (18) this term. The visitors’ slow starts could come back to bite them at the Allianz Stadium, considering they’ve lost 80% of their away league games after conceding first.
Juventus vs Lazio Team News
In addition to long-term absentees Kaio Jorge, Federico Chiesa and Weston McKennie, Juventus have been sweating over the fitness of Danilo over the past few days.
As for Lazio, Ciro Immobile and Pedro have the question marks over their heads, though Sarri remains hopeful of having the league’s top-scorer ready to start.
Juventus Potential Starting XI (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Mattia De Sciglio, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Juan Cuadrado, Manuel Locatelli, Denis Zakaria, Federico Bernardeschi; Dusan Vlahovic, Alvaro Morata.
Lazio Potential Starting XI (4-3-3): Thomas Strakosha; Manuel Lazzari, Luiz Felipe, Francesco Acerbi, Elseid Hysaj; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Ciro Immobile, Jovane Cabral.