Serie A Preview: Lazio vs Juventus – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Victory is imperative for under-pressure managers Maurizio Sarri and Igor Tudor as Lazio and Juventus square off in a Serie A classic. Stadio Olimpico sets the stage for Sunday’s blockbuster, with the two Italian heavyweights facing each other for the 163rd time in the top flight.

Expectations were high ahead of Sarri’s return to the bench, yet the hosts have struggled at the start of the season. Only two wins in the opening seven rounds (D2, L3) had pinned Lazio to Serie A’s lower reaches pre-round. Furthermore, the Biancocelesti miraculously avoided defeat at Atalanta last weekend, as La Dea squandered a catalog of chances in a tepid 0-0 draw in Bergamo.

Lazio can ill-afford another similar performance if they’re to return to winning ways here, not least because they take on another team in crisis. Like their hosts, Juventus are having a rough time, with a narrow 1-0 loss at Real Madrid in midweek Champions League action extending their dreadful winless streak in all competitions to seven matches (D5, L2).

Needless to say, Igor Tudor is facing mounting pressure ahead of his return to Rome. There’s a feeling that anything other than all three points on his old stomping ground would result in a premature dismissal. With the stakes at an all-time high for the 47-year-old, this matchup promises to be a tense, hard-fought affair, with neither side likely to take unnecessary risks.

Both sides will fight tooth and nail for a morale-boosting triumph, knowing that defeat could spell disaster for their respective managers.

Match Preview

Lazio

Despite going unbeaten in their last three league outings (W1, D2), Lazio remain stuck in the bottom half of the table. However, they could overtake 10th-placed Cremonese with a win here. Victory is not out of the realm of possibility by any stretch of the imagination, even though the Biancocelesti failed to beat Juventus in both Serie A meetings last term (D1, L1).

Indeed, since a 2-0 defeat in November 2021, Lazio have strung together a four-match unbeaten home run against the Turin giants in all competitions (W3, D1), with each game in that sequence producing a full-time margin of under 1.5 goals. With that in mind, another tight, low-scoring encounter could be on the cards, especially given Lazio’s struggles against elite clubs.

Both of their league wins this season came against sides starting the round in the bottom four. As if that’s not concerning enough, Lazio have emerged victorious from just two of their last 15 league matches at the Olimpico (D9, L4), most recently humbling perennial bottom-dwellers Hellas Verona 4-0 in late August. It’s also worth noting that they only kept one clean sheet during that 15-game stretch.

Juventus

Tudor sits on the brink of a defining moment in his Juventus tenure, with his side desperately needing a spark to turn their fortunes around. Juve’s seven-game winless run across all competitions has left confidence at a low ebb, as they journey to the capital in pursuit of crucial points, seeking their first league win since the controversial Derby d’Italia triumph over Inter in mid-September.

However, the task is nothing short of Herculean. Juventus have failed to score in their last three competitive matches, with both defeats in that sequence coming away from home. That doesn’t make for promising reading ahead of this must-win road clash, nor does an underwhelming run of only two victories from their last nine Serie A away games (D4, L3), which includes a pair of draws at this stadium.

Notoriously slow out of the blocks, Juventus have drawn a blank in the first half in five of their seven Serie A matches this season. Therefore, it’s barely surprising that only one of those fixtures produced over 2.5 goals, making the Bianconeri one of the least exciting teams to watch in these early stages of the campaign. Given the circumstances, entertainment is the last thing that concerns Tudor.

Team News

Already dealing with a summer transfer embargo, Sarri now faces an even bigger selection headache as several first-team regulars are out injured. Matteo Cancellieri, who scored three of Lazio’s ten league goals this season, has joined Taty Castellanos, Nuno Tavares, Nicolo Rovella, Samuel Gigot, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Luca Pellegrini in the treatment room with a thigh issue.

On the other hand, Juventus remain without their defensive cornerstone, Gleison Bremer, who is recovering from a knee injury. Arkadiusz Milik and Juan Cabal are also unavailable. It will be interesting to see whom Tudor selects in attack tonight as the visitors aim to halt their three-match scoring duck. Despite his dismal form, Jonathan David could still get the nod ahead of Dusan Vlahovic.

Lazio vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups

Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel; Hysaj, Gila, Romagnoli, Marusic; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni.

Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Gatti, Rugani, Kelly; Kalulu, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David.

Lazio vs Juventus Prediction

This game has all the makings of a ‘make or break’ clash for Tudor, whose tenure at Juventus hangs by a thread. Anything short of victory could push him closer to the exit door. Therefore, a clash against injury-hit Lazio could be just what the doctor ordered for the underperforming Turin powerhouse.

It’s hard to back Juventus for a win with any real conviction, but they seem better positioned than their ailing rivals to put three precious points on the board.