On Sunday, November 29, 2020, the Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Udinese in Matchday 9 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
The Head Referee for this clash will be Gianluca Aureliano, the Assistant Referees will be Carbone and Pagnotta, the Fourth Official will be Prontera, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be Banti with the assistance of Di Vuolo.
In the 82 times that Lazio and Udinese have played each other in Serie A, the Biancocelesti have won on 38 occasions, the Bianconeri have won on 24 occasions and there have been 20 draws. When playing at home, Lazio has a record of 22W-8D-11L against Udinese.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in eighth with a record of 4W-2D-2L (14 points) and the Bianconeri sit in sixteenth with a record of 2W-1D-5L (7 points).
Expected Starting Lineups
Lazio (3-5-2): Strakosha; Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Akpa Akpro, Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto, Fares; Correa, Immobile
- Unavailable: Proto, Lulic, Muriqi
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: –
Udinese (3-5-2): Musso; Becao, Nuytinck, Samir; Larsen, De Paul, Arslan, Pereyra, Zeegelaar; Pussetto, Okaka
- Unavailable: Coulibaly, Walace
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: Arslan
Prediction
This match takes place after Lazio defeated Russian Premier League side FC Zenit St. Petersburg 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Matchday 4 of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League. It was a tremendous team effort from the Biancocelesti as many key players returned to the lineup from illnesses and injuries. The last time these two teams met, Lazio were 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. Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile returned to the lineup, with the latter wasted no time as he scored within the first five minutes. Marco Parolo extended the lead to 2-0 off of a beautiful strike from far distance; yet, minutes later, the lead was cut in half off a goal from Artem Dzyuba. Right before the hour mark, Immobile won his side a penalty and made no mistake as he converted from the spot. The Italian finished with a brace and propelled his side closer to the round of 16 in the Champions League. Over the weekend they also won their Serie A match against Crotone (2-0) with Immobile leading the way with the game-winner. The Italian has been in great form scoring in five straight matches.
In Udinese’s recent match against Genoa in Serie A, they were in search of ending a three-game winless streak and staying above the relegation zone. The Bianconeri have struggled to score goals this season. They have the second-fewest goals for, as they trail Crotone and are tied with Genoa with seven goals. It was a good performance from Udinese who were the better side throughout the match. Minutes after the half-hour mark, Rodrigo De Paul opened the score off of a beautiful strike from just outside the Genoa goal. The goal was his second this season and put him in a tie with Stefano Okaka for most goals scored on the team. Heading into their weekend match versus Lazio, that is not enough against a side who has shown great form and has the ability to score many goals. Udinese followed up midweek with a 1-0 win versus Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia. Tofol Montiel scored in the 112th minute to lift the Viola into the round of 16. Udinese has struggled to find consistency and their form has been poor at most times.
After a slow start, Lazio has started to turn their season around as they are unbeaten in six straight games in all competitions. With the character they showed against Crotone and Zenit this past week, this team has proven to be a difficult side to beat. As for Udinese, inconsistency and lack of scoring have hindered their chances of winning games this season. Lazio is expected to have Thomas Strakosha and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic return to the lineup which makes matters worse for the Bianconeri. If Udinese is to pick up at least a point, they will need to be highly motivated and mentally prepared against a Lazio side who has looked very good in recent times.
Prediction: Lazio 3-1 Udinese
