Saturday is the day of reckoning between two familiar foes as Lazio and Juventus lock horns in a high-stakes Serie A clash at the Stadio Olimpico. While the visitors’ bid to return to the Champions League goes to plan, the home side’s pursuit of European football is in the balance.
Lazio endured unpleasant moments before March’s international break. After Maurizio Sarri’s abrupt exit, club fans insulted talismanic striker Ciro Immobile as Biancocelesti eked out a precious 3-2 victory at relegation-threatened Frosinone under the leadership of interim boss Giovanni Martusciello.
But the new sheriff is in town. Following a brief spell in Ligue 1 with Marseille, Igor Tudor has returned to Serie A to salvage Lazio’s disastrous campaign. The former Hellas Verona manager faces an uphill task to guide the capital-based outfit to the Champions League, with his side starting this round eight points behind arch-rivals Roma.
Unlike Lazio, Juventus are on the verge of regaining their place at Europe’s top table after a season-long absence. However, Massimiliano Allegri’s future in Turin has been under the microscope after Bianconeri’s unfathomable downturn since the beginning of February.
Fans have lost patience with the defensive-minded coach as a scoreless home draw against Genoa before the international break saw the Turin faithful jeer their manager after the final whistle. That result, coupled with Milan’s 3-1 win at Verona, resulted in Juventus tumbling down to third in the Serie A standings.
Match Preview
Lazio
The abovementioned win against the Canaries halted Lazio’s embarrassing four-game losing streak in all competitions. But among the defeats they suffered during that stretch was a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich, which ended their Champions League run in the first knockout stage.
It could prove a blessing in disguise for the new manager. Stuck two points adrift of seventh-placed Napoli, Lazio can now focus on landing a berth in European football. Tudor’s first assignment will be to rebuild Biancocelesti’s feeble home fortress. They’ve lost three consecutive league games at the Olimpico for the first time since 2007.
Making it four top-flight defeats on home turf in a row for the first time since 1961 is well on the cards, considering Lazio have lost six of their last nine encounters against Juventus in the capital.
Juventus
Despite Lazio’s form woes, Juventus have their own issues to contend with after racking up just seven points across their last seven Serie A matches. At the thick of that woeful sequence has been Bianconeri’s notoriously uneventful frontline. Three scoring blanks in those seven games perhaps best explain fans’ anger.
Winless on their last three league travels (D1, L2) as a result of their immense scoring problems, Juventus will take this trip hopelessly looking to return to winning ways on the road. It’s not all doom and gloom, knowing they have developed a habit of making strong starts in their away league fixtures.
Allegri’s men have fallen behind in just five of their 14 Serie A outings on hostile turf this season. But conceding first might not necessarily mean a fiasco for Juventus. They’ve rescued points twice in such contests (W1, D1, L3).
Team News
First-choice goalkeeper Ivan Provedel is not in contention for the matchday squad due to an ankle problem. The same goes for Luca Pellegrini, who accumulated yellow cards before the international break. Patric and Nicolo Rovella are still in doubt.
On the other hand, Juventus will be without Arkadisuz Milik, Dusan Vlahovic, Nicolo Fagioli, Paul Pogba, and Carlos Alcaraz. Vlahovic lost his temper in second-half stoppages against Genoa, picking up two bookings in a minute, and will have to watch the game from the stands.
Lazio vs Juventus Potential Lineups
Lazio (3-4-2-1): Christos Mandas; Mario Gila, Alessio Romagnoli, Nicolo Casale; Manuel Lazzari, Matteo Guendouzi, Danilo Cataldi, Adam Marusic; Alberto, Zaccagni; Ciro Immobile.
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer, Danilo; Andrea Cambiaso, Weston McKennie, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean.
Lazio vs Juventus Prediction
This fixture has a low-scoring theme written all over it. Both teams have massively struggled in front of goal this season. With Tudor’s arrival, Lazio’s disappointing attacking output could suffer further decline.
Meanwhile, goals have been at a premium for Juventus without Vlahovic. All that encourages us to predict a goalless affair.
Prediction: Draw
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