Serie A high-flyers Lazio have been handed a tough Europa League draw, but the Biancocelesti will, nonetheless, try and make it to the next round. Atletico Madrid are showing a lot of improvement under Diego Simeone and they have yet to concede a goal with the Argentine at the helm.

Back to Champions League places

Having seen how well the team played the previous season, Lazio chiefs decided to splash the cash in the summer, hoping for yet another successful season. Boss Edy Reja needed some time to make the team gel and the results at the start of the season were far from impressive, but the Biancocelesti soon started playing to their potential. Lazio thus managed to ensure progress to the Europa League knockout stages, while they did brilliantly to climb to the third place in the standings in Serie A, after winning three of their last four league games. With Champions League qualification remaining a priority, the Biancocelesti will have one eye on the away game against Palermo, meaning they will try to record a good result against Atletico, but without giving all they’ve got. Edy Reja is, therefore, expected to adopt a cautious approach and he is likely to pay a lot of attention to stopping Atletico Madrid stars Falcao, Adrian and Diego.

Edy Reja is hoping Stefan Radu and Senad Lulic will be fit to play, but Andre Dias, Stefano Mauri, Cristian Brocchi, Lorik Cana and Tommaso Rochi remain sidelined.

Six straight clean sheets

Keeping two clean sheets seemed like mission impossible for Atletico when they were led by Gregorio Manzano, so even the players themselves were pretty shocked when they went for six games without conceding under new boss Diego Simeone. The former Atletico midfielder realized that shaky back line was preventing the team from reaching its full potential and he has done brilliantly to get his defenders into shape. The change to more cautious approach had a negative effect on team’s scoring record as los Colchoneros failed to score in three of their last six games, but once the Argentine finds the right balance between attack and defence, Atletico will be recording even better results than they are at the moment. Following the goalless draws against Valencia and Racing Santander, Atletico arrive to Italy hoping to record a good result before the return leg at Vicente Calderon, which basically means the visitors will be happy if they avoid defeat at Olimpico.

Diego Godin is back in contention after recovering from injury, but Tiago and Antonio Lopez remain sidelined. Fran Merida is ineligible, whereas Joao Miranda returns from domestic ban.

Verdict

The two evenly matched sides could easily cancel each other out, especially as both managers are expected to adopt a cautious approach. Both Lazio and Atletico Madrid are fighting for Champions League places in their respective leagues and with some very important league games due just three days later, they are unlikely to give their best at Olimpico.

Our prediction: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.91 (10/11)

Bookmaker: William Hill