Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Serie A clash between Lazio and Juventus, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Two teams struggling to match expectations will meet in Serie A’s Sunday night contest, as Juventus visit Lazio at Stadio Olimpico.
While the hosts languish inside the bottom half of the standings, Juve head to Rome following back-to-back defeats, plunging them further into crisis.
Match preview
Already under intense scrutiny due to their declining domestic output, Juventus were faced with one of the toughest Champions League assignments on Wednesday.
Following five draws and a defeat in their previous six games, the two-time European champions were beaten by Real Madrid in the Spanish capital, despite putting up a decent fight.
Misfiring strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Lois Openda both missed chances at the Bernabeu, before Jude Bellingham’s close-range finish split the sides, leaving Juve with just two points from their first trio of league-phase fixtures.
Having tamely lost lost 2-0 to Como a few days beforehand, the Bianconeri have now failed to score in their last three matches: over 300 minutes of action have come and gone since Francisco Conceicao found the net against Villarreal.
Last week’s reverse at Stadio Sinigaglia also ended the Turin club’s 11-match run without a league loss – albeit several of those games ended all square.
Now, they face a must-win clash with opponents also enduring a tough start to the season, as Igor Tudor leads his team to the Italian capital.
Juventus have failed to score just once across their last 29 away games against Lazio, so at least history suggests they can finally end their goal drought.
While Tudor managed Lazio from March to June 2024, succeeding Maurizio Sarri – who has recently returned to Stadio Olimpico – the latter will also face his old club this weekend.
Sarri made history in Turin, securing Juve’s ninth consecutive Scudetto, but that success seems like a distant memory now.
After suffering three defeats in their first four matches this season, his Lazio side have at least managed to pick up a few more points from the next three.
Having put three goals past Genoa without reply, they then stole a last-gasp point against Torino, before returning from the international break with a gritty goalless draw in Bergamo.
The Biancocelesti managed to hold off Atalanta BC, but they are still stuck in the bottom half, trailing several of their fellow top-six contenders.
Like Sunday’s visitors, Lazio have been hampered by failing to turn draws into wins for several months now, recording 10 stalemates at the Olimpico since the start of last season.
As a result, they have won only two of their last 15 home fixtures in Serie A, keeping just a single clean sheet in the process.
Lazio Serie A form:
W L L W D D
Juventus Serie A form:
W W D D D L
Juventus form (all competitions):
D D D D L L
Team News
After dropping Manuel Locatelli to the bench in Madrid, Tudor could recall his captain this weekend, with Weston McKennie’s place in central midfield looking most vulnerable.
Juventus are still missing defensive rock Bremer and wing-back Juan Cabal due to injury, but they should otherwise have a full squad to pick from.
Tudor has yet to settle on a preferred formula up front, where Jonathan David, Openda and Vlahovic are all vying for selection: the latter has scored seven goals against Lazio to date, including two Serie A braces.
Meanwhile, the hosts will be without their main marksman for another few weeks, as Valentin Castellanos features on a long injury list.
Already hamstrung by a summer transfer embargo, Sarri’s options have been reduced even further by the absence of several regulars: Nuno Tavares, Nicolo Rovella, Samuel Gigot, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Luca Pellegrini are all unavailable.
Adding to the emergency situation at Formello, right-winger Matteo Cancellieri – who recently scored two goals against Torino – has now suffered a thigh injury.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Hysaj, Gila, Romagnoli, Marusic; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Gatti, Rugani, Kelly; Kalulu, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David
We say: Lazio 1-2 Juventus
This game should be destined for a draw, as Juventus have posted more than anyone else in Serie A since the start of last season and Lazio cannot finish teams off on home turf.
However, Juve must surely take their chance to post an overdue victory, with their ailing hosts hit badly by injuries and low in confidence.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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