On Sunday, January 3, 2021, the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris hosts Genoa vs Lazio in Matchday 15 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
The Head Referee for this clash will be Gianpaolo Calvarese, the Assistant Referees will be Galetto and Prenna, the Fourth Official will be Di Martino, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be Mazzoleni with the assistance of Tegoni.
In the 100 times that the two clubs have played each other in Serie A, the Biancocelesti have won on 37 occasions, the Rossoblu have won on 37 occasions and there have been 26 draws. When playing at home, Genoa has a record of 29W-10D-11L against Lazio.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in eighth with a record of 6W-3D-5L (21 points) and the Rossoblu sit in eighteenth with a record of 2W-4D-8L (10 points).
Expected Starting Lineups
Genoa (3-5-2)
- Perin; Masiello, Radovanovic, Criscito; Zappacosta, Lerager, Badelj, Behrami, Czyborra; Shomurodov, Destro
Lazio (3-5-2)
- Reina; Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto, Marusic; Caicedo, Immobile
Prediction: Genoa 1-2 Lazio
This match takes place after Lazio lost 3-2 versus AC Milan at the San Siro in Matchday 14 of the 2020/21 Serie A. It was a disappointing result from the Biancocelesti, who put forth one of their best performances and were without Lucas Leiva and Francesco Acerbi due to injuries. Milan have been impressive this season as they have yet to lose in Serie A. They have gone unbeaten in 25 straight matches, which dates back to June. Within the first ten minutes, Milan struck first, off a corner kick. Adam Marusic did a poor job picking up his man and left Ante Rebic all alone as he converted a header. Minutes later, the Rossoneri were awarded a penalty for a challenge Patric committed inside the box. Hakan Calhanoglu made no mistake from the spot as he scored and extended their lead to 2-0. Right before the half-hour mark, Lazio were awarded a penalty as Pierre Kalulu committed a foul on Joaquin Correa inside the penalty area. Ciro Immobile failed to convert from the spot as Milan Goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, made the save but Luis Alberto was quick to react and follow up on the rebounded as he headed the ball past the sprawling goalkeeper. Right before the hour mark, Lazio made a valiant comeback as Immobile scored his eighth goal this season from a brilliant pass from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Unfortunately, a strong effort from Lazio was wasted in the final minute of the match. Off a corner, Lazio did a poor job covering their men and Theo Hernandez was left alone and scored a header past Lazio goalkeeper, Pepe Reina. A hard-fought effort to the comeback was erased with a last-minute play from Milan.
In Genoa’s recent match against Spezia, they won 2-1 at the Alberto Picco. It only took the Aquile ten minutes to open the score off brilliant one-touch passing. Emmanuel Gyasi sent a beautiful pass toward M’Bala Nzola who positioned himself perfectly in front of Ivan Radovanovic and gave the defender little chance of winning the challenge. The forward continues to impress this season for Spezia as he leads the team with seven goals and has really made a name for himself this year. However, the lead lasted just five minutes as Genoa got one back from their most encouraging player, Mattia Destro, who’s having a great season. Goran Pandev, showing that he still is able to produce at a high level, made a great run up-field getting by several defenders where he followed up with a key pass towards Destro just outside the Spezia box. The forward was left unmarked and connected on the pass as his shot went past Spezia goalkeeper, Ivan Provedel. Luca Vignali did a poor job of staying close to the Genoa forward and converted his fourth goal this season, where he continues to have an impressive season. With just under 20 minutes remaining, Genoa were awarded a penalty as Valon Behrami was fouled by Claudio Terzi which was a very weak call. Genoa converted from the spot and were fortunate to escape with the three points in a 2-1 win. Spezia controlled and dominated the majority of the match with their fluid passing and ability to keep possession of the ball. It was Genoa manager, Davide Ballardini’s first match this season as he replaced Rolando Maran. Ballardini makes his fourth return with the club in hopes of keeping the club away from relegation.
In recent times, Lazio have shown better form in Serie A as they have won two of their last five matches. Although they lost, the Biancocelesti will look to build off their recent performance against Milan as it was one of their best games this season. As for Genoa, they aim to avoid dropping further down the table as they hold the final spot in the relegation zone. The Rossoblu have struggled to find consistency as they have won just twice this season. They have one win in their last fourteen games and have lacked quality in the final third as they have 14 goals this season. Currently sitting in eighth place, five points back of fourth place, Lazio will aim to make up ground and move further up the table. Lazio could receive some encouraging news as Leiva and Acerbi are expected to return to the lineup. However, Correa is expected to miss the next four games and will need their new signing, Vedat Muriqi to step up in his absence. It has been a slow start for the striker but he will have plenty of opportunities to turn it around.
This will be an intense battle between the two sides. One aims to return to the Champions League next season while the other looks to avoid relegation. The last time these two teams met at the Luigi Ferraris, Lazio won 3-2 in a close affair. If Lazio are to pick up the three points, the Biancocelesti will need to be highly motivated and not let their guard down against a Genoa side who has been poor this season but has shown to put in good performances from time to time.
