On Sunday, January 24, 2021, the Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Sassuolo in Matchday 19 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
In the 14 times that the two clubs have played each other in Serie A, the Biancocelesti have won on eight occasions, the Neroverdi have won on three occasions and there have been three draws. When playing at home, Lazio has a record of 4W-1D-2L against Sassuolo.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in seventh with a record of 9W-4D-5L (31 points) and the Neroverdi sit in eighth with a record of 8W-6D-4L (30 points).
MORE: Lazio vs Sassuolo | Match Insights
Expected Starting Lineups
Lazio (3-5-2): Reina; Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Akpa Akpro, Marusic; Caicedo, Immobile
- Unavailable: Proto, Luiz Felipe, Luis Alberto, Cataldi
- Disqualified: –
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: Fares, Caicedo, Escalante, Hoedt
Sassuolo (4-2-3-1): Consigli; Muldur, Marlon, Ferrari, Rogerio; Locatelli, Magnanelli; Defrel, Traoré, Djuricic; Caputo
- Unavailable: Bourabia, Schiappacasse, Romagna, Berardi
- Disqualified: Chiriches
- One Yellow Card Away From Suspension: Berardi, Lopez
MORE: Antonio Giua to Oversee Lazio vs Sassuolo Serie A Clash
Prediction
This match takes place after Lazio won 2-1 against Parma at the Stadio Olimpico in the Round of 16 in the 2020/21 Coppa Italia. It was a great result from the Biancocelesti, who put forth a good performance and managed to win without notable players such as Luis Alberto, Ciro Immobile and Luiz Felipe. Within the first 25 minutes of the match, Lazio opened the score from Marco Parolo. Andreas Pereira delivered an accurate cross into the box and the midfielder headed it towards goal and past Parma goalkeeper, Simone Colombi. Late in the second half, Parma capitalized on Lazio’s poor defensive coverage as Mihai Valentin Mihaila made his run between Patric and Wesley Hoedt and was left unmarked with plenty of space to work with. He received the pass from Giacomo Ricci, went down the left flank and his shot went under the arm of Lazio goalkeeper, Thomas Strakosha, and into the net. Right at the 90th minute, Lazio restored their lead. Francesco Acerbi delivered a cross into the box from the left side near midfield and Vedat Muriqi won the challenge and headed the ball on target. His shot struck the post yet redirected off Colombi and into the net.
In Sassuolo’s recent match against Parma, they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricolore. Injuries have taken a toll on the club, as they have had to manage without key players such as Domenico Berardi, Manuel Locatelli and Jeremie Boga. At close to half-time, Parma opened the score as Giuseppe Pezzella delivered a 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.
In recent times, Lazio have shown better form in Serie A as they have won four straight matches in all competitions and are unbeaten in their last four games in Serie A. They’ve been able to collect points in five of their past six games and are entering their match vs Sassuolo with plenty of momentum. Lazio have struggled with consistency this season yet in recent times, have turned it around, and are putting forth stronger performances. A heavy blow to Lazio this week as Luis Alberto will be the next couple of matches while Luiz Felipe is out until April. Sassuolo have been on the opposite end as they are struggling to win matches. While they have just two wins in their past seven games in Serie A, Lazio should not take them lightly as they have been prone to lose to weaker sides this season.
Sassuolo 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 move up in the standings, they will need to be highly motivated, focused and be much better defensively against a Sassuolo side who is showing poor form at the current moment.
Lazio vs Sassuolo: 2-1
