Prediction: Lazio vs Cluj

Verdict: Ciro Immobile to score

Best odds: 1/1

Bookmaker: 888sport

The round of 16 of the Europa Conference League will see Lazio take on CFR Cluj, and the first leg of that encounter is set to take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Thursday.

Lazio

Lazio are in the middle of a very tough battle in the Serie A at the moment. Sitting in sixth place with 39 points, they are firmly in the race to finish inside the top four, with city rivals AS Roma, Atalanta and AC Milan occupying the third, fourth and fifth place with a tally of 41 apiece, and Inter Milan in second on 44, 15 less than runaway leaders Napoli. Therefore, it’s logical to assume they will be making that their priority between now and the end of the season, but at this stage, they will probably look to take advantage of a favourable Conference League draw and move into the quarterfinals.

To get here, Lazio played their way through Group F of the Europa League, and given that all four teams finished on eight points, they could be described as unlucky to end up third on goal-difference, behind Feyenoord and Midtjylland, though the fans of last-place Sturm Graz would probably disagree.

On January 19th, Lazio beat Bologna 1-0 at home in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia, and since then, they smashed Milan 4-0 at home, drew 1-1 against Fiorentina at home, lost 1-0 away to Juventus in the Coppa quarterfinals, drew 1-1 away to Hellas Verona, and lost 0-2 at home against Atalanta.

Team News

Head coach Maurizzio Sarri won’t be able to count on winger Luka Romero, who picked up a red card on the last matchday in the Europa League group stage in November. Defenders Alessio Romagnoli and Stefan Radu are absent through different muscle injuries.

Ivan Provedel will be in goal. Fullbacks Adam Marusic and Elseid Hysaj should flank the centre-back pair of Nicolo Casale and Patric. Danilo Cataldi is expected to anchor the midfield, also containing Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Striker Ciro Immobile should have Felipe Anderson and Mattia Zaccagni support him from the flanks.

CFR Cluj

Cluj, meanwhile, finished second in Group G of the Conference League. They gathered 10 points, one less than Sivasspor, two more than Slavia Praha, and six more than last-place Ballkani.

As for their domestic season, Cluj are currently second in the Romanian SuperLiga with 50 points, two less than leaders Farul. The league has seen 25 rounds played so far, and there will be another five, at the end of which the top six go into the Championship round to fight for the title. With a gap of 17 points between them and seventh-place Petrolul, Cluj should be safe in terms of qualifying for that battle.

The team commanded by former Romania international Dan Petrescu started their last-six run in all competitions with a 0-1 win away to FCSB, followed by a 0-1 home defeat to Hermannstadt. Then they smashed Farul 0-3 away, beat Voluntari 0-1 away, lost 0-1 at home against FCSB, and lost 2-0 away to Universitatea Craiova.

Team News

Petrescu reportedly has no injury or suspension worries, so the full squad should be at his disposal.

With Simone Scuffet in goal, the back four should consist of Cristian Manea, centre-backs Yuri Matias and Andrei Burca, and left-back Mario Camora as the captain. Nana Boateng, Karlo Muhar and Lovro Cvek should be in the middle of the park, with Claudiu Petrila and Emmanuel Yeboah on the wings, and Daniel Birligea as the furthest man upfront.

Conclusion

With all due respect to Cluj, Lazio should win this match rather comfortably, with Ciro Immobile hitting the back of the net at least once.

Verdict: Ciro Immobile to score

Best odds: 1/1

Bookmaker: 888sport