Lazio vs Fiorentina: Match Preview
The Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Fiorentina in Matchday 28 of the 2019/20 Serie A.
Looking at the previous ten matches between the two sides, the Biancocelesti have won on six occasions, the Viola have won on two occasions, and there have been two draws. In more recent times, Lazio defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in Florence at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Matchday 9 of the 2019/20 campaign.
In regards to form in the Serie A this campaign, Simone Inzaghi’s team sits in second with a record of 19W-5D-3L (62 points), while Giuseppe Iachini’s side sits in fourteenth with a record of 7W-10D-10L (31 points); the last round of calcio saw the Biancocelesti lose 3-2 to Atalanta and the Viola draw Brescia 1-1.
Expected Starting Lineups
Lazio (3-5-2): Strakosha; Bastos, Vavro, Acerbi; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Parolo, Luis Alberto, Jony; Caicedo, Immobile.
Suspended: None
Yellow-Carded: Acerbi, Caicedo, Cataldi, Immobile, Lazzari
Unavailable: Cataldi, Marusic, Leiva, Luiz Felipe, Lulic
Fiorentina (3-5-2): Dragowski; Milenkovic, Pezzella, Igor; Lirola, Duncan, Pulgar, Castrovilli, Dalbert; Ribery, Vlahovic.
Suspended: Chiesa, Caceres, Iachini
Yellow-Carded: Duncan, Lirola, Pezzella, Vlahovic
Unavailable: Kouamé
Prediction
This match takes place after Atalanta came back against Lazio mid-week after trailing 0-2 within the first 15 minutes. Goals from Robin Gosens, Ruslan Malinovsky and Jose Luis Palomino helped preserve the win for La Dea. It was a very entertaining match which had Lazio play their first game after a three month lay off. The Biancocelesti put forth a valiant effort that saw them get an own goal from Marten De Roon and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The loss put a dent in Lazio’s hope for their first Scudetto in 20 years as they trail Juventus by four points. To put more insult to injury, Joaquin Correa, Stefan Radu and Danilo Cataldi each left the game with injuries and have made Inzaghi’s task more daunting. The club was without the services of Adam Marusic, Lucas Leiva, Luiz Felipe and Senad Lulic and with limited depth, Lazio will need to turn this loss around in the short days ahead of their match against Fiorentina.
The Viola started the season under Vincenzo Montella but he was fired in December after a stretch of eight straight games where they had won once. Giuseppe Iachini was hired as Montella’s replacement and has done a decent job in his short time with the club. Fiorentina have won three, drawn five and lost two and are six points clear of Lecce, who currently hold the final spot in relegation. Their recent match against Brescia ended in a draw which extends their unbeaten streak to four matches. Their recent form has been strong and their performance under Iachini has continued to improve as Fiorentina have been able to turn their season around.
Each side finds themselves in different scenarios in the table, there will be a lot at stake in this match. One aims for their first Scudetto while the other hopes to avoid relegation. Neither team will want to lose ground in the standings, so expect an exciting match Saturday evening at the Stadio Olimpico.
Prediction: Lazio 1-0 Fiorentina
