Atalanta vs Lazio: Match Preview
The Gewiss Stadium hosts Lazio vs Atalanta in Matchday 27 of the 2019/20 Serie A.
Looking at the previous ten matches between the two sides – from March of 2015 to October of 2019 – the Biancocelesti have won on three occasions, the Nerazzurri have won on three occasions, and there have been four draws. In more recent times, Lazio drew Atalanta 3-3 in Rome at the Stadio Olimpico in Matchday 8 of the 2019/20 campaign.
In regards to form in the Serie A this season, Simone Inzaghi’s team sits in second with a record of 19W-5D-2L (62 points), while Gian Piero Gasperini’s side sits in fourth with a record of 15W-6D-5L (51 points); the last round of Italian football saw the Biancocelesti defeat Bologna 2-0 and La Dea defeat Sassuolo 4-1.
Expected Starting Lineups
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Gollini; Toloi, Palomino, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Gomez; Ilicic, Zapata
Suspended: Pasalic, Gasperini
Yellow-Carded: Malinovskyi, Palomino
Unavailable: Czyborra
Lazio (3-5-2): Strakosha; Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Luis Alberto, Jony; Correa, Immobile.
Suspended: None
Yellow-Carded: Acerbi, Caicedo, Cataldi, Immobile, Lazzari
Unavailable: Lucas Leiva, Luiz Felipe, Lulic
Prediction
This match takes place after Lazio won 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico back in February. It was a hard-fought win for the Biancocelesti and was a decent performance by the home side. Simone Inzaghi’s side were in terrific form before the season stopped; they are unbeaten in their last twenty-one matches. Ciro Immobile continues to lead the way up front, as he leads the league in scoring with 27 goals. The Italian continues to impress for Lazio, as he’s contributed to three goals in the last three matches. The striker has shown great form and will look to continue his pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain Serie A record of 36 goals.
In Atalanta’s recent match against Sassuolo, Berat Djimsiti opened the scoring for Atalanta in the first twenty minutes. However, it was Duvan Zapata’s brace that led the way in La Dea’s 4-1 win. The home side scored four straight goals to cruise to an easy victory and showed great composure. It was Atalanta’s first game on the pitch since March when they clinched a spot into the round of eight of Champions League. The three-month layoff didn’t affect Atalanta as they picked up where they left off. The club will look to continue their recent success as Lazio have shown great form this season and are unbeaten in their last twenty-one matches. La Dea started their Serie A season winning five of their first seven matches. The club has been able to continue their strong start as they sit six points back of Inter Milan for third place in the table.
In all, both sides are strong and have been performing above expectations this season. Lazio and Atalanta have each won four straight matches with Atalanta having more preparation as they played this past Sunday, but Inzaghi has proven to rise the occasion many times this season. Lazio will look to continue where they left off before the break. At this stage of the season, every win is a step closer to the elusive place in next season’s Champions League whilst at just one point off the top spot, it is not too late to be dreaming of a surprise Scudetto win. This being said, Inzaghi’s side must prioritize taking things just one step at a time and will, hopefully, benefit come August.
Prediction: Atalanta 1-2 Lazio
