On Tuesday, December 15, 2020, the Stadio Ciro Vigorito hosts Benevento vs Lazio in Matchday 12 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
The Head Referee for this clash will be Luca Pairetto, the Assistant Referees will be Costanzo and Galetto, the Fourth Official will be Abbattista, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be Fabbri with the assistance of Longo.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in ninth with a record of 5W-2D-4L (17 points) and the Stregoni sit in fifteenth with a record of 3W-2D-6L (11 points).
Expected Starting Lineups
Benevento (4-3-2-1): Montipò; Letizia, Tuia, Glik, Barba; Hetemaj, Schiattarella, Improta; Ionita, Caprari; Lapadula
- Unavailable: Moncini, Maggio, Caldirola
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: –
Lazio (3-5-2): Reina; Patric, Hoedt, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Escalante, Luis Alberto, Marusic; Correa, Immobile
- Unavailable: Proto, Lulic, Muriqi, Lucas Leiva, Fares, Acerbi
- Disqualified: Akpa Akpro
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: Lucas Leiva
Prediction: Benevento 1-2 Lazio
This match takes place after Lazio lost 2-1 versus Hellas Verona at the Stadio Olimpico in Matchday 12 of the 2020/21 Serie A. It was a disappointing result from the Biancocelesti, who were without Luis Alberto due to a muscle injury. Verona continues to impress this season as they’ve been able to steal points from Juventus, AC Milan and Atalanta. Plenty of praise must go to Ivan Juric who has men playing great football at the current moment. Right before half-time, the visitors struck first as Federico Dimarco’s shot deflected off Manuel Lazzari and into the Lazio goal for an own goal. Right before the hour mark, the Biancocesti levelled the score off a brilliant individual effort from Felipe Caicedo. The Ecuadorian did a great job to hold up the play with his back towards goal and turned around to strike with a demanding shot past Verona goalkeeper, Marco Silvestri. With just over a quarter of the match remaining, it all went crumbling down for Lazio as Stefan Radu’s pass back towards Lazio goalkeeper, Pepe Reina was a poor attempt as Eddie Salcedo pressured the defender and turned the ball over. Adrien Tameze pounced on the error to beat Reina who was out of position and slotted home the winning goal. It has been a disappointing year for Lazio in Serie A as they have dropped points to Sampdoria, Udinese and now Verona.
In Benevento’s recent match against Sassuolo, they fell short at the Mapei Stadium as they lost 1-0. The Neroverdi scored within the first ten minutes as they were awarded a penalty. Maxime Lopez’s shot struck the hand of Alessandro Tuia which prevented the ball from going into the goal area. Domenico Berardi converted from the spot and scored his fifth goal this season. Minutes after the start of the second half, Lukas Haraslin was shown a straight red card after a reckless challenge on Gaetano Letizia. With Benevento up a man for most of the second half, this was a golden chance for them to get back into the game. Gianluca Lapadula and Gianluca Caprari had chances to score yet the Sassuolo defense stood tall with pivotal blocks. Both forwards lacked decisiveness in their shots. In the final minutes, Benevento had their best chance as Iago Falque’s shot struck the crossbar. That’s as close as they got as they were unable to capitalize while being a man up.
Lazio are struggling to find their form in Serie A as they have lost two of their last three matches. The same can’t be said in the Champions League as they’ve shown to be a much stronger side when it’s come to the European competition. The Biancocelesti will aim to return to the win column and gain some momentum with matches against Napoli and AC Milan lying ahead next week. Benevento have also shown poor form as they have one win in their past five matches. As for Benevento, they will aim to end a three-game winless streak. It has been a modest campaign for the Stregoni who have struggled to find consistency, yet have managed to steal points from Juventus, Fiorentina and Parma, so this side should not be taken lightly. If Lazio are to pick up the three points, the Biancocelesti will need to be highly motivated and mentally prepared against a Benevento side who has looked fragile in recent times. Lazio will look to keep their perfect record intact at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito.
