Match Coverages
Lazio v Juventus: Match preview, team news and probable lineup
Juventus are aiming to secure a fourth consecutive Serie A win when they face second-placed Lazio in Rome on Saturday.
Despite a controversial draw against Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia, which saw several players sent off, Juventus remain focused on securing a top-four finish. They currently trail Lazio by 11 points in the league table and must work hard to catch up. Juventus will look to reduce the gap to eight points by winning against their capital city opponents.
Last Tuesday, Juventus played Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia, and Juan Cuadrado’s goal seemed to have secured a victory. However, Inter substitute Romelu Lukaku scored an equalizer from the spot in the dying minutes of the game.
Following Lukaku’s goal, several players were sent off due to their aggressive behavior during the game. The incident has strained the relationship between the two teams, and Juventus will look to put it behind them and focus on winning against Lazio.
Read more:
Juventus must maintain their winning form, given that they have been severely impacted by a 15-point penalty imposed at the start of the year. Their third straight league win over Verona last weekend has helped keep them within touching distance of the top six.
However, they must continue to win if they hope to achieve their goal of a top-four finish. They also have to prepare for their Europa League quarter-final match against Sporting.
Lazio is Italy’s best defensive team, having kept the most clean sheets and conceded the fewest goals in Serie A this season. Despite their 3-0 loss to Juventus in November, Lazio is confident in their recent performances.
They have suffered only one loss in their last 12 league games and have little fear of facing a resurgent Juventus. Ciro Immobile should return as Lazio’s skipper for the match. If he starts, he will join Mattia Zaccagni in Lazio’s familiar front three.
Team news and probable lineups
As a result of Massimiliano Allegri’s flu-related illness, Juventus will be without their head coach, leaving Marco Landucci to serve as an interim replacement.
Moise Kean, who recently served a suspension after being sent off against Roma, is currently serving a second suspension, thus Juve’s erratic attacker will not be able to build on his goal last week and his brace in the rematch from November.
The imminent suspension for Juan Cuadrado only pertains to the Coppa Italia, so he can start on the opposition’s right wing once more. Dusan Vlahovic will have to beat out Arkadiusz Milik for the starting spot up front.
Leonardo Bonucci is back and has been called up for the game but will only be available for the bench, Mattia De Sciglio left out for the game due to fatigue, while Paul Pogba remains sidelines despite being part of first team training session this week.
The joint-top scorer for Lazio, Ciro Immobile, returned from injury last Sunday and is now eligible to start. The Aquile captain would be joined by Mattia Zaccagni, who has nine goals in Serie A this year, in a recognizable front three.
As an alternative, Maurizio Sarri might decide to keep Pedro in the starting lineup and deploy Felipe Anderson as a false nine; Immobile, who is currently recovering from injury, might then contribute from the bench.
After serving his suspension, Adam Marusic should be able to replace Manuel Lazzari in one of the full-back positions for the hosts’ defense.
Lazio probable starting lineup: Provedel; Hysaj, Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni.
Juventus probable starting lineup: Szczesny;Gatti, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria; Vlahovic.
