Lazio perform noticeably worse when Italian defender Francesco Acerbi is absent, which he will be against Genoa on Sunday.
According to a report from Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera (via La Lazio Siamo Noi) earlier today, the 33-year-old Italian defender has only missed six games since joining the Roman club in 2018, and the side performs worse when the former Sassuolo man is not on the pitch.
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The average point haul with Acerbi on the pitch is 1.84 per game, whereas without him it drops to 1.66 per game.
His first absence was in the 2018/19 season in a match against Juventus, where the Biancocelesti lost 2-1. In the following season, he missed two games which were both victories; a 3-2 win over Genoa and a 2-0 win over Bologna.
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This season, Acerbi was forced to miss three games due to adductor problems. In those games, Lazio drew 1-1 with Benevento, beat Napoli 2-0 and lost to AC Milan 3-2.
Dutch defender Wesley Hoedt will start in his place on Sunday against Genoa. The Southampton-owned defender has lost his last three starts against Inter (3-1), Bologna (2-0) and Juventus (3-1).
