Serie A Preview: Juventus vs Lazio – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Saturday’s Serie A program closes out with a heavyweight clash between familiar foes Juventus and Lazio at the Allianz Stadium. With nothing but goal difference separating the teams ahead of the kick-off, victory feels imperative for both sides to back up their lofty ambitions.

Not long after halting an uneventful run of three consecutive scoreless draws in Serie A with a scintillating 3-0 away win against Genoa, Juventus slipped again. Conceding a late penalty against warm relegation candidates Cagliari condemned Thiago Motta’s side to a lackluster 1-1 home draw on the stroke of October’s international break.

That result gave the former Bologna manager plenty to think about, especially as his men blew a perfect opportunity to register three successive league wins for the first time this term. On top of that, it helped early pacesetters Napoli increase the distance to three points, fuelling concerns in Turin during the pause.

Visiting Lazio didn’t have such troubles as veteran winger Pedro netted a sublime late winner to inspire Marco Baroni’s side to a 2-1 home win against Empoli last time out. The ex-Hellas Verona coach can only hope the two-week hiatus from club football won’t knock his team off their perch following back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.

Baroni won’t have to wait long to find out. His side’s resilience is about to be severely tested in Turin, where they last won a top-flight fixture in October 2017. However, the 61-year-old tactician will have every right to feel upbeat about this trip, knowing Lazio have got the better of Juventus twice in their three meetings in 2024 (L1).

Match Preview

Juventus

Sharing the spoils has been a running theme for Juventus this season, with over 50% of their Serie A outings ending all square (W3, D4). While that could be unfamiliar territory for the Bianconeri, Motta had become an expert for stalemates during his remarkable stint at Bologna.

It’s perhaps difficult to fathom, yet the 42-year-old has overseen nine draws across his last 15 league matches as a manager. With six yielding a tepid 0-0 scoreline, it’s only natural to assume those in attendance at the Allianz Stadium cannot expect a goal fest.

Against this backdrop, the last five Serie A meetings between Juventus and Lazio in Turin have produced at least three goals, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest. Fans probably wouldn’t mind a less attractive affair if it means their side ends a three-game winless home league streak (D3).

That’s Juventus’ longest wait for a home win in Serie A since 2015.

Lazio

The visitors must be aware of Juve’s tendency to start strong on home turf. With five of Bianconeri’s seven home goals scored across all competitions this term arriving before halftime, Baroni’s charges cannot afford to be slow out of the blocks. Otherwise, their hopes of halting a six-game winless away league run against Juventus (D2, L4) fade quickly.

However, Lazio will travel in high spirits. The abovementioned triumph against Empoli made it four consecutive wins in a row across all competitions for Baroni’s free-scoring unit. Indeed, his men bagged an average of three goals per game during that sequence, setting themselves up nicely for this tantalizing trip.

On top of that, Dynamo Kyiv and Torino fell victim to Lazio’s form resurgence on the road before the break. Another win would mark Biancocelesti’s three-game winning streak in competitive away action for the first time since 2019. Unfortunately, the task at hand is nothing short of Herculean.

Seven defeats across their last eight visits to Juventus (D1) paint a bleak picture for Lazio and their supporters.

Team News

A sizeable list of high-profile absentees has been part of Motta’s undoing during his early Juventus tenure. Gleison Bremer, Nicolas Gonzalez, and Teun Koopmeiners have joined Paul Pogba, Timothy Weah, and Arkadiusz Milik on the sidelines, while Francisco Conceicao remains unavailable through suspension.

On the bright side, Weston McKennie should be ready to feature despite minor injury concerns.

In the meantime, Lazio could take this trip without center-back duo Samuel Gigot and Patric. But the rest of Baroni’s squad is fit and firing, including in-form forwards Taty Castellano and Boulaye Dia. There’s also a chance for Tijjani Noslin to dislodge Gustav Isaksen from the starting XI after the latter pushed his fitness limits during the break.

Juventus vs Lazio Potential Line-ups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Michele Di Gregorio; Andrea Cambiaso, Federico Gatti, Pierre Kalulu, Danilo; Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli; Kenan Yildiz, Douglas Luiz, Samuel Mbangula; Dusan Vlahovic.

Lazio (4-2-3-1): Ivan Provedel; Nuno Tavares, Alessio Romagnoli, Mario Gila, Manuel Lazzari; Matteo Guendouzi, Nicolo Rovella; Tijjani Noslin, Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni; Taty Castellanos.

Juventus vs Lazio Prediction

Given an ominous-looking injury list, Juventus can draw confidence from Dusan Vlahovic’s return to form. The Serbian striker has bagged three goals in his last two appearances. However, Lazio’s well-oiled attacking machine is no idle threat.