Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri is forced to reshuffle his lineup after losing the services of Daniel Maldini and Adam Marusic just before the trip to Florence.
Lazio Lose Daniel Maldini & Adam Marusic to Injury
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Maldini has been suffering from an inflamed patellar tendon, which ruled him out of Monday’s away contest against Fiorentina. The versatile attacker will be assessed ahead of next weekend’s clash against Napoli before making a decision on his availability.
On the other hand, Marusic is dealing with a more serious condition. The Montenegrin has a muscle problem, and the medical staff fear this could be a strain. The 33-year-old will likely sit out the next clash against Napoli, and he even risks missing the all-important second-leg clash against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semi-final on April 22.
Boulaye Dia Back in the Lazio Starting Lineup
Maldini and Marusic are considered almost automatic starters in Sarri’s lineup, so the manager will have to make new selections on Monday. The Italian forward will likely be replaced by Boulaye Dia, who is ahead of Petar Ratkov in the pecking order.
However, the identity of the starting wingers remains uncertain, as Tijjani Noslin and Matteo Cancellieri have been gaining ground on Pedro and Gustav Isaksen. The good news for Sarri is that Mattia Zaccagni should return to the squad after training alongside his teammates over the past few days, but he won’t be fit enough to start.
Manuel Lazzari to Replace Marusic
With Marusic out of the equation, Manuel Lazzari should get the nod at right-back, especially following his impressive cameo against Parma. The former SPAL man should join Alessio Romagnoli, Oliver Provstgaard, and Nuno Tavares at the back.
In the middle of the park, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru should be available after overcoming muscle fatigue, but Sarri could be tempted to deploy Toma Basic, even though the Croatian hasn’t made an appearance in over two months.
Lazio Probable XI (4-3-3): Motta; Lazzari, Romagnoli, Provstgaard, Tavares; Basic (Dele-Bashiru), Cataldi, Taylor; Isaksen (Cancellieri), Dia, Pedro (Noslin).
Fiorentina vs Lazio | Where to Watch, Insights, Lineups & Prediction
Well 1st of please don’t start Pedro over Noslin, the lad deserve to start now even if Zaccagni is back coz he is been poor basically all season bar 2-3 outings.
Lazzari should be fired up and he needs whoever plays better defensively between Gustav and Cancellieri.
Lastly Dia.. man I wanna see what he can do without small pain in his ankles and whatever else he suffered from in the past. I feel we haven’t seen the best of him. This match and the next one are preparations for Atalanta so COME ON YOU LAZIOOOO 🩵🤍
Totally agree with you. Dia has the potential to be much better than we have seen until now.