Five Key Battles to Watch in Inter Milan vs Lazio: Castellanos Set for Daunting Challenge | OneFootball

In the penultimate round of Serie A, Lazio will be hoping to keep their Champions League hopes alive by handing Inter Milan what would be a deadly Scudetto blow.

But in order to beat the reigning Italian champions at San Siro, Marco Baroni’s men will be required to produce an almost flawless performance, and that is certainly easier said than done after a long and exhausting campaign. Nevertheless, it will be crucial for the Biancoceleseti stars to prevail in the following five duels:

Francesco Acerbi vs Taty Castellanos

This could be a long night for Taty Castellanos, as he’ll be up against one of the most terrifying defenders in the game. At the age of 37, Francesco Acerbi is still considered one of the best man-markers in the world.

We’re talking about a staunch centre-back who has been constantly able to nullify the threats of some of the most dangerous strikers in the world, the likes of Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku. Hence, Castellanos will try to utilize his mobility and agility to escape the claws of the former Lazio defender.

Hakan Calhanoglu vs Boulaye Dia

In addition to his usual attacking duties, Boulaye Dia will have a key role to play in the defensive phase, as he must try to put Hakan Calhanoglu under pressure and prevent him from orchestrating the play in the middle of the park. This could be one of the most pivotal personal battles of the night.

Nicolo Barella vs Matteo Guendouzi

This season, Matteo Guendouzi has been able to stand toe-to-toe with some of the finest midfielders in Serie A this season, even though his less-than-perfect physical condition saw him struggle against Juve’s Khephren Thuram last weekend.

When it comes to box-to-box midfielders, Nicolo Barella is the blueprint, as he’s arguably the most complete midfielder Italian football has to offer at the moment. But like Guendouzi, the Azzurri star’s energy levels have dropped as of late, thus levelling the ground in this intriguing duel.

Denzel Dumfries vs Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Denzel Dumfries is a physical specimen, but on Sunday, he could find his match in Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, at least if Baroni decides to field the Nigerian on the left wing in the absence of the suspended Mattia Zaccagni.

This certainly won’t be an easy one for the Lazio man, but it also represents a golden opportunity to prove himself at the end of the lukewarm first campaign at the club.

Marcus Thuram vs Mario Gila

Lazio fans would agonizingly recall how Mario Gila’s injury signalled the beginning of the team’s collapse in the horrific 0-6 demolition at the hands of Inter back in December. That evening, Marcus Thuram ran riot at the Olimpico and scored the sixth goal that rounded off the Aquile’s misery.

Hence, the Spanish defender will have a point to prove against the French striker and his Nerazzurri teammates.