On Sunday, November 8, 2020, the Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Juventus in Matchday 7 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
The Head Referee for this clash will be Davide Massa, the Assistant Referees will be Meli and Alassio, the Fourth Official will be Sacchi, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be Mazzoleni with the assistance of Cecconi.
In the 152 times that Lazio and Juventus have played each other in Serie A, the Biancocelesti have won on 34 occasions, the Bianconeri have won on 81 occasions and there have been 37 draws. When playing at home, Lazio has a record of 25W-18D-33L against Juventus.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in tenth with a record of 3W-1D-2L (10 points) and the Bianconeri sit in third with a record of 3W-3D-0L (12 points).
Expected Starting Lineups
Lazio (3-5-2): Reina; Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Radu; Marusic, Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Luis Alberto, Fares; Correa, Muriqi
- Unavailable: Lulic, Proto, Lucas Leiva, Immobile, Strakosha
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: –
Juventus (4-4-2): Szczesny; Cuadrado, Demiral, Bonucci, Danilo; Kulusevski, Rabiot, Bentancur, Chiesa; Morata, Ronaldo
- Unavailable: Chiellini, Ramsey, de Ligt, Alex Sandro
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: –
Prediction
This match takes place after Lazio tied Russian Premier League side FC Zenit St. Petersburg 1-1 (away from home) in Matchday 3 of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League. It was another courageous effort from the Biancocelesti after missing seven key players (due to COVID-19 and injury); six players had to be called up once again from the Primavera squad to help Lazio fill a 16-man roster. Aleksandr Erokhin scored just after the half hour mark off a pass from Artem Dzyuba from inside the box. Lazio struggled to get involved in this match, as Zenit did a good job defensively, limiting Lazio’s chances. However, late in the match, Felipe Caicedo once again stepped up for the Biancocelesti. The forward made his run into the box and converted a precise pass from Francesco Acerbi. The Ecuadorian has done well leading the lines in Ciro Immobile’s absence. While many Lazio fans will be disappointed that the club did not walk away with all three points, this match defined the character of Simone Inzaghi’s squad who were still able to grind out a draw away from home.
In Juventus’ recent match against Ferencváros in the Champions League, they were in search of their second win to keep pace with FC Barcelona for first place in Group G. It was a less daunting task compared to their recent match against Barcelona, as they cruised to a 4-1 victory, with Alvaro Morata scoring a brace. The Spaniard has done well since joining Juventus on loan from Atlético Madrid; he has scored six goals in all competitions and has three goals in his last two matches. It took less then ten minutes for the Bianconeri to score as Morata converted a cross inside the box from Juan Cuadrado. At the hour mark, the Spaniard scored once more, yet this time off a pass from Cristiano Ronaldo, and extended the lead to 2-0. When they have played together this season, the two players have shown good chemistry. This guaranteed the win, although Juventus received insurance goals from Paulo Dybala and an own goal from Lasha Divali. Ferencváros got a consolation goal in the 90′, yet the match was far out of reach.
After a slow start, Lazio have started to turn their season around as they are unbeaten in five straight games in all competitions. With the character they showed against Zenit, this team has the ability to overcome difficult circumstances. As for Juventus, they continue to adjust under coach Andrea Pirlo, who is yet to find the formation that is best suited to his squad. Although players have been out due to injuries and illnesses, this side should not be taken lightly as they are one of three teams yet to lose in Serie A this season. If Lazio are to pick up the three points, the Biancocelesti will need to be highly motivated and mentally prepared against a Juventus side who has looked fragile in recent times, yet have shown to overcome these setbacks time and time again.
Prediction: Lazio 1-2 Juventus
