Lazio climbed to second place in Serie A standings with an impressive victory over Bologna, with the Biancocelesti now looking to extend their winning run to four games. Catania, on the other hand, brought a valuable point from Florence, but the Elephants face another very difficult away game.

Back on track

With a very promising league campaign behind them and a significantly reinforced squad, Lazio entered the new season with big ambitions. The arrivals of Klose, Cisse and Marchetti, to name just a few, lifted the spirits of everyone at the club and even though the Biancocelesti experienced small problems at the start of the season, things are slowly falling into place. Edy Reja finally managed to get this team to perform in accordance with their potential, with straight wins over Fiorentina, Roma and Bologna the perfect proof. It is more than evident that this new found confidence is having a great effect on the players, and Lazio are certainly expected to keep the rich vein of form. Coach Edy Reja has found a right balance between attack and defence, with impressive attacking performance and a clean sheet in the Bologna game something that everyone has been waiting for. The Biancocelesti now have a perfect opportunity to continue their winning run against one of the worst travelers in Serie A, even if they are missing several first team regulars.

Playmaker Hernanes misses out with an ankle problem, whereas Alvaro Gonzalez, Stefano Mauri, Matuzalem and Andre Dias are also unavailable.

Four-match unbeaten run

Catania recently managed to establish themselves as genuine mid table side and there is one key reason behind their recent uptrend in fortunes. The Elephants have built a real fortress out of their Stadio Angelo Massimino, with even the biggest Italian sides struggling to pick up points from this Sicilian city. However, despite the obvious quality in their ranks, Catania just cannot find cure for their poor away form and that is one of the reasons why I doubt they can get something from this match. The Elephants did bring two points from last two away games against Novara and Fiorentina, but they were very lucky to do so, having scored late into the game to salvage a point in both games. As I have already mentioned, the team are in very good form and are unbeaten in last four games, but that run would be put to a serious test against high-flying Lazio. The lengthy injury list only makes the situation worse.

Pablo Ledesma, Ciro Capuano, Pablo Alvarez, David Suazo, Cristian Llama and Marco Biagianti are all sidelined.

Verdict

Lazio really raised their game over the last few weeks and even with several important missings, the Biancocelesti are expected to win this game. Catania are a decent Serie A side, but only when they play at Angelo Massimino, so they really have nothing to hope for in this game.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 1.73 (8/11)

Bookmaker: William Hill