Preview and Prediction
The title race in Serie A has been suddenly making a potentially unusual turn. La Vecchia Signora which should have been able to secure the title earlier begins to lose its consistency after the stunning defeat in Milan. They still have six points clear from their closest contender, Inter Milan, but if Maurizio Sarri’s men do not improve their form, they could lose the title eventually. This weekend, they will face off another obstacle, Lazio. They were the most dangerous contender before the lockdown. Yet, they are now losing their momentum despite having several chances to close the gap in the past two weeks. Ciro Immobile and Co still have a shot to overturn their situation by snatching a win here, something which is even harder to do now considering their recent form.
The teams’ previous matches
Juventus were only managed to muster a 3-3 draw in a seesaw game against Sassuolo in the midweek, despite having two-goal lead. Danilo scored an opener followed by Gonzalo Higuain’s strike. Unfortunately, their defence line lacked of focus while dealing with swift short passes in their penalty box, and one shot by Filip Djuricic found the back of the net. At the early second half, Domenico Berardi equalised with his curling free kick and provided an assist for Francesco Caputo’s goal. Fortunately, Alex Sandro’s header made them level.
Lazio was no different as well. They were held in a goalless draw while visiting Udinese in the midweek. The goalies from both side managed to stop a number of golden opportunities from their opponents, which were the key men in the game.
Possible tactic
Maurizio Sarri has always been opting for 4-3-3 with the transition to 4-3-1-2. Cristiano Ronaldo surely is the main scorer with the support of Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa or Federico Bernardeschi for playing wide or Aaron Ramsey for the number 10 role. On the injury table, only Mattia De Scoglio is ruled out.
Simone Inzaghi is one integral part of Lazio’s revival this season. The brother of the well-known Filippo, has always been opting for 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1 formation with Ciro Immobile as the main frontman accompanied by Felipe Caicedo or Luis Alberto behind him. This is due to the fact that Joaquin Correa is sidelined alongside with Patric, Senad Lulic, Adam Marusic and Lucas Leiva.
Players to watch
In Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo is surely the top performers. His contribution to the team is as good as expected. The ones who also deserve a credit for this year’s campaign are the Argentinean Paulo Dybala, the Turkish defender Merih Demiral and the Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentacur.
Ciro Immobile is certainly one of Lazio’s key men this season with his twenty nine goals and eight assists. Another one is the Spaniard Luis Alberto who has scored six goals and provided fourteen assists. There some other worth watching figures for this fixture, such as the Serbia Sergej Milenkovic-Savic and the Albanian goal keeper, Thomas Strakosha.
Juventus vs Lazio Prediction
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co have to secure a win here to seal the title immediately. However, it becomes trickier considering their forms lately. The home side have a better chance to win. Yet, Simone Inzaghi’s men absolutely won’t let it happen again. Overall, both teams will be sharing one point here.
Betting odds
The game is expected to be even. Yet, with all the advantage, the host is priced to win higher at 1.65 whereas Lazio are in the win market at 4.90. The odds for a draw result are only at 4.1.
