Serie A TIM action has finally returned. In the first matchday of the second half of the season, Lazio will be facing off against Carlo Ancelotti and Napoli at the San Paolo. The return leg of a 2-1 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico at the start of the season, Simone Inzaghi and his side will be coming for revenge to take all three points Sunday.
Facts
The Partenopei remain unbeaten in front of their home fans so far this season. They have a record of eight wins and two draws. In addition, Lazio has not beaten Napoli in seven matches: their last victory against the Campanian side was back on May 31st, 2015. Ancelotti will be without Senegalese center-back Kalidou Koulibaly (red card), Italian attacker Lorenzo Insigne (red card), Brazilian midfielder Allan (yellow card suspension), and Slovakian midfielder Marek Hamsik (injury) for Sunday’s clash. For a full preview of the match, click here.
Lazio
Looking at the starting eleven for Lazio, it is looking more and more likely that the ‘mainstream’ starting eleven will be taking the pitch with a few exceptions, one of them being Belgian wing-back Jordan Lukaku, who will start on the left flank. Senad Lulic will move to the right flank to make room for the player; this is the action taken by the Italian manager to cope with the disqualified Adam Marusic.
In relation to the rest of the squad, Inzaghi will have a full squad: Ecuadorian striker Felipe Caicedo who, throughout the week, had not trained due to muscular discomfort, is match fit. Newcomer and shining Argentine attacker Joaquin Correa is likely to start from the bench, with Luis Alberto – who is beginning to regain form – taking his second-striking role behind Italian Ciro Immobile.
Lucas Leiva, Marco Parolo, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will attempt to dominate and control the middle of the park; in the first leg, Lucas was injured leaving a huge gap in the starting eleven – even more so in Inzaghi’s tactics.
In defense, the usual pair of Stefan Radu and Francesco Acerbi will start – on the left and middle – whilst the right side is a contest between the two Brazilians Luiz Felipe and Wallace. This is the second exception to the regular starting eleven, as this spot in Inzaghi’s team is always up for debate.
In goal, Thomas Strakosha will continue his streak of playing in every minute of Serie A TIM action this campaign.
Probable Formation: 3-5-1-1
Strakosha;
Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Radu;
Lulic, Parolo, Lucas Leiva, Milinkovic-Savic, Lukaku;
Luis Alberto,
Immobile.
