On Saturday, April 3, 2021, the Stadio Olimpico hosts Lazio vs Spezia in Matchday 29 of the 2020/21 Serie A.
This will be just the second time that these two sides have met in Serie A. Back in December 2020, the Aquile won 2-1 at the Orogel Stadium Dino Manuzzi.
As it stands in the top flight of Italian football, the Biancocelesti sit in seventh with a record of 15-4D-8L (49 points) and the Bianconeri sit in fifteenth with a record of 7W-8D-13L (29 points).
Lazio
This match takes place after Lazio won 1-0 versus Udinese at the Stadio Friuli. It was a decent performance from the Biancocelesti, who put forth a valiant defensive effort and got some luck with Rodrigo De Paul hitting the post. Lazio managed to earn their first clean sheet after five matches across all competitions. Adam Marusic continues to impress this season for Lazio as he scored the lone goal in this match. Right before half-time, he scored off a brilliant individual effort to break the deadlock. His goal stood as the game-winner and kept Lazio within the distance of a top-four spot.
Probable Starting Lineup
- (3-5-2): Reina; Marusic, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Pereira, Lulic; Correa, Immobile
Simone Inzaghi will be without Luiz Felipe, Luis Alberto and Patric for this clash.
Spezia
In Spezia’s recent match, they won 2-1 versus Cagliari at the Alberto Picco. The Bianconeri have been in poor form as this was their second win in the past six matches in Serie A. Roberto Piccoli opened the score within minutes after the re-start of the second half. Their lead was extended to 2-0 with ten minutes remaining. Giulio Maggiore converted a cross pass from Simone Bastoni inside the Cagliari goal area, which took a fortunate bounce and fooled Cagliari goalkeeper, Alessio Cragno. Gaston Pereiro scored minutes after Maggiore’s goal, yet it was too little too late for the visitors.
Probable Starting Lineup
- (4-3-3): Zoet; Ferrer, Terzi, Chabot, Bastoni; Sena, Ricci, Maggiore; Gyasi, Piccoli, Verde
Vincenzo Italiano will be without Dell’Orco, Mattiello, Saponara, Krapikas for this clash.
Final Words
Lazio have started to show good form in Serie A, where they have won two straight matches. In their past ten matches in Serie A, the Biancocelesti have won seven and lost three.
Spezia have been on the opposite end in recent times as they’ve won once in their past six matches. Regardless of their form, the Bianconeri can’t be underestimated as they’ve beaten clubs such as Napoli and AC Milan this season.
Roberto Piccoli has been one of the few bright spots in this Spezia side. The Italian has scored in three of his past four matches in Serie A. He has four goals this season. Additionally, he scored one goal and contributed one assist in the Coppa Italia.
As for Lazio, their talisman, Ciro Immobile, has struggled. He’s failed to score in seven straight games across all competitions, showing poor form. However, the Italian recently scored for Italy versus Northern Ireland and Lithuania in the World Cup Qualifiers. This could uplift the Italian’s game as he is in dire need of confidence at the moment.
While Immobile has struggled, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has stepped up for Lazio. The midfielder has one goal and one assist in his past two Serie A matches. He’s tied in first in Serie A with eight assists and has taken his game to the next level. While he’s tied for the league lead in assists, he’s also scored five goals for his side.
If Lazio are to move up in the standings, they will need to be highly motivated, not let their guard down and not under-estimate Spezia, who have proven to be resilient.
Prediction
Lazio 2-1 Spezia
