On Thursday, January 21, 2021, the Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Parma in the Round of 16 of the 2020/21 Coppa Italia.
The Head Referee for this clash will be Giovanni Ayroldi, the Assistant Referees will be De Meo and Raspollini, the Fourth Official will be Sacchi, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be Banti with the assistance of Liberti.
In the three times that the two clubs have played each other in Coppa Italia, the Biancocelesti have won on two occasions and there has been one draw. When playing at home, Lazio has a record of 2W-0D-0L against Parma.
As it stands in Serie A, the Biancocelesti sit in seventh with a record of 9W-4D-5L (31 points) and the Gialloblu sit in nineteenth with a record of 2W-7D-9L (13 points).
Expected Starting Lineups
Lazio (3-5-2): Strakosha; Parolo, Hoedt, Acerbi; Lazzari, Akpa Akpro, Escalante, Milinkovic-Savic, Fares; Pereira, Muriqi
- Unavailable: Proto, Fares, Correa, Luiz Felipe, Luis Alberto
Parma: (4-3-3): Colombi; Busi, Iacoponi, Dierckx, Pezzella; Sohm, Hernani, Kucka; Brunetta, Inglese, Gervinho
- Unavailable: Balogh, Karamoh, Laurini, Osorio
Prediction
This match takes place after Lazio won 3-0 against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Matchday 18 of the 2020/21 Serie A. It was a great result from the Biancocelesti, who put forth their best performance and capitalized on their chances. Lazio controlled most of the play throughout the match and limited Roma to one shot on target. Within the first 15 minutes of the match, Lazio opened the score from their talisman, Ciro Immobile. The forward sent a pass toward the right side which was intended for Manuel Lazzari and Raul Ibanez cut it off. The wing-back continued his run and pressured the defender to turn over the ball. He followed up by advancing the ball towards Immobile in the box and the forward beat Roma goalkeeper, Pau Lopez. It was a disastrous goal conceded by Roma, which was the result of poor defending and a series of turnovers. Luis Alberto followed up with a brace as he scored at the 23rd and 67th minute. Lazio’s third goal was quite the spectacle as it involved 22 straight passes and 11 players touching the ball which resulted in Alberto scoring from outside the box to beat Lopez. It was a night to remember for Lazio, who controlled the bulk of the match and earned their second straight clean sheet while Roma remained winless against top clubs in Serie A.
In Parma’s recent match against Sassuolo, they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricolore. It was Parma’s second match under manager, Roberto D’Aversa, who made his return a week prior vs Lazio in place of Fabio Liverani. The club has struggled to win matches this year as they have just two wins in 18 games and are winless in their last nine. The Gialloblu’s last win dates back to November 30 when they defeated Genoa 2-1 at the Luigi Ferraris. However, in their two matches under D’Aversa, Parma have looked more composed and calmer and are moving the ball much better. Close to half-time, Parma opened the score as Giuseppe Pezzella delivered an accurate cross from the left flank into the Sassuolo box. Juraj Kukca positioned himself well and created space between him and Vlad Chirches. The forward converted the pass with a precise header past Sassuolo goalkeeper, Andrea Consigli, and gave his side a 1-0 lead. Parma did a great job of defending the lead and limited Sassuolo’s chances of tying the match for most of the game. In added time, Parma defender, Maxime Busi conceded a foul in the Parma box as he drew a foul on Gian Marco Ferrari. Filip Djuricic converted from the spot to tie the game at 1-1 with no time remaining. Parma will feel this was a letdown as they were close to their first victory in quite some time. They will continue in search of their first win since November but their recent performances have been encouraging and they have plenty to build off.
Lazio will meet Parma for the second time in less than two weeks, yet this time for the Coppa Italia. In recent times, Lazio have shown better form in Serie A as they have won three straight matches and are unbeaten in their last four games. They’ve been able to collect points in five of their past six games and are entering their match vs Parma with plenty of momentum. Lazio have struggled with consistency this season yet in recent times they have shown better form and are putting forth stronger performances. Parma have shown better form under D’Aversa and appear to be turning it around. While they are winless in their past nine games in Serie A, Lazio should not take them lightly as they have been prone to lose to weaker sides this season.
Parma will aim to turn things around and look for some positivity in their season while Lazio will aim to continue their winning streak. If Lazio are to advance to the round of 8, they will need to be highly motivated, not let their guard down and be much better defensively against a Parma side who is showing poor form at the current moment.
Lazio vs Parma: 2-0
