Lazio take on Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico in Matchday 15 of the 2021/22 Serie A.
Lazio
Lazio have a record of 6W-3D-5L (21 points) and sit in eighth place in Serie A.
In their recent match against Napoli, they put forth a disappointing performance and suffered a 4-0 loss. For a second straight match, Lazio were shut-out; the Biancocelesti were held to just two shots on target and had very few scoring attempts. Napoli were dominant as they controlled and dictated the pace of this match. Within the first ten minutes, they scored twice and immediately this game was out of reach for Lazio. The Biancocelesti will aim to put this performance behind them and turn their recent poor form around versus Udinese.
In addition to the suspended Luiz Felipe, Pedro is questionable to Maurizio Sarri for this fixture. The Spanish winger suffered an injury in their recent match versus Napoli.
Expected Starting Lineup
Lazio (4-3-3): Pepe Reina, Manuel Lazzari, Patric, Francesco Acerbi, Elseid Hysaj; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Danilo Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni.
Player to Watch
Ciro Immobile has found the back of the net seven times in nine appearances against Udinese in Serie A since joining Lazio. In addition, he has been in good form against the Bianconeri in recent seasons as he has scored in two of the past three matches against them; this includes a brace and a game-winner. The Italian striker will look to add to this tally and move back to the top of the Serie A scoring charts.
Udinese
Udinese have a record of 3W-6D-5L (15 points) and sit in 14th place in the top flight of Italian football.
Their recent league match against Genoa ended in a scoreless draw. It was a dull performance from both sides as very few chances were created. Genoa and Udinese combined for five shots on target with the former having the best opportunity to score. In the first half, Caleb Ekuban received a long ball pass from Nicolo Rovella and beat Samir. He only had Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri to beat yet he missed the target as his shot went wide.
Roberto Pereyra is the only player who will be unavailable to Luca Gotti for this fixture. The Argentine suffered a shoulder injury in their recent match against the Rossoblu.
Expected Starting Lineup
Udinese (3-5-1-1): Marco Silvestri; Rodrigo Becao, Bram Nuytinck, Samir; Nahuel Molina, Tolgay Arslan, Walace, Jean-Victor Makengo, Destiny Udogie; Beto; Gerard Deulofeu.
Player to Watch
In his first season with Udinese, Beto has fit in quite well as he has shown good pace and the ability to get in behind the defense to create scoring chances. The attacker has scored four goals in twelve league matches thus far. However, he has struggled to find the back of the net in recent times. He had scored in three consecutive matches earlier this season, yet has followed up with just one goal in the following five fixtures.
Match Prediction
Udinese have won just one of their previous 13 matches against Lazio in Serie A. Furthermore, they have secured a victory at the Stadio Olimpico against the Biancocelesti in just two of their previous twelve meetings. However, Lazio have struggled defensively as they have earned just two clean sheets in fourteen Serie A matches and have also have failed to find the back of the net in two straight matches in the Serie A.
Lazio 3-1 Udinese
