Lazio vs Juventus preview

January 19, 2016
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Lazio vs Juventus previewItalian giants Lazio and Juventus square off at Stadio Olimpico, vying for a place in Coppa Italia semi-final in a repeat of last year’s final.

The Biancocelesti will be looking for a revenge after missing out on the trophy in extra time as their former player Alessandro Matri proved the match winner.

Lazio enjoyed a great deal of success last season, reaching the Coppa Italia final and achieving a top 3 finish in Italian Serie A, but the two narrow misses ended up costing them dearly.

The Biancocelesti failed to reach the Champions League group stages this term, while their league performances left a lot to be desired.

Stefano Pioli’s men finally started showing some improvement ahead of the winter break, with Coppa Italia triumph over Udinese and league win at Inter Milan serving as major confidence boosts.

Lazio then kicked off the New Year with a disappointing home draw with Carpi, but again managed to impress on the road, beating top 3 rivals Fiorentina before sharing spoils with Bologna.

The Biancocelesti return to home comforts as they play host to Juventus and they are 3.75 (11/4) to win in ninety minutes and reach Coppa Italia semi-finals.

Dusan Basta, Federico Marchetti and Santiago Gentiletti all miss out, but they could be back for weekend’s game vs Chievo.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Berisha – Konko, Mauricio, Hoedt, Radu – Parolo, Biglia, Lulic – Candreva, Klose, Anderson.

Juventus needed some time at the start of the season to hit the ground running, but once that has happened, the Bianconeri have been simply unstoppable.

Max Allegri’s charges eased off to the Champions League knockout stages, while they quickly closed the gap behind their title rivals and are now mere two points off the top.

Juventus head into the Lazio clash brimming with confidence after a six-match winning run, so no wonder they have been made 2.25 (5/4) favourites to win at Stadio Olimpico.

Having defeated the Biancocelesti in the 2014/2015 Coppa Italia final, while recording a 2-0 away win in this year’s Serie A, the Bianconeri clearly hold a serious psychological advantage over the opposition.

Regardless of the importance of the match, Max Allegri appears to have decided to rest his key men against Lazio, although Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio should be in the side.

The likes of Norberto Neto, Martin Caceres, Juan Cuadrado, Simone Zaza and Alvaro Morata are all expected to start.

Probable starting line-up (3-5-2): Neto – Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini – Cuadrado, Sturaro, Marchisio, Pogba, Evra – Morata, Zaza.

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