Prediction: Lazio vs Juventus

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 39/20

Bookmaker: Unibet

On Saturday evening, Lazio will play host to Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome within the 29th round of the season in the Serie A. It will be another huge clash of top-four contenders, and a contest between the second team in the league this season and the team that would’ve comfortably been second had they not been hit with a significant point deduction.

Lazio

Sitting second with 55 points, 16 below Napoli going into the round, Lazio don’t really have a realistic chance of catching up with the runaway leaders, but with 10 rounds still to be played, their position in the top four is by no means safe. Therefore, every point won between now and the end of the season will be gold-worthy. AC Milan and Inter are on 51, AS Roma is close as well on 50, and even Atalanta aren’t far away on 48.

The good news for Lazio here is that they’ve been on great form recently, at least when it comes to the domestic affairs. Their last six matches in all competitions include a double defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League round of 16 by the same score line; 2-1 in Netherlands and 1-2 at home. It also includes a huge 0-1 win away to Napoli, a goalless draw away to Bologna, a great 1-0 win over city rivals Roma, and a 0-2 win away to Monza.

Team News

Head coach Maurizio Sarri welcomed Ciro Immobile back from injury in the victory in Monza, and the veteran striker should be ready to play a full game now. Adam Marusic is also set to return to the starting XI, having served his suspension for getting sent off in the aftermath of the Derby of Rome.

With Ivan Provedel in goal, Marusic and Elseid Hysaj should flank Alessio Romagnoli and Nicolo Casale in the back line of four. The usual trio is set to start in midfield – Danilo Cataldi as the anchorman, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto playing between the boxes. With Immobile back, Felipe Anderson should shift to the right wing to accommodate the captain at the expense of Pedro, while Mattia Zaccagni attacks from the left.

Juventus

When the decision to take 15 points away from Juventus as punishment for past financial irregularities was announced, few saw them recovering in time to fight for the Champions League places, and yet, here they are, only four points off Atalanta, seven off the two Milan teams. Their chances in that race still don’t look too good, but they’re definitely in it, and that’s a remarkable achievement. Again, had it not been for that deduction, the Old Lady would be staring only at the back of Napoli right now.

And unlike Lazio, Juventus are still competing in Europe. Having knocked SC Freiburg out of the Europa League in the round of 16, they’re preparing to face Sporting Lisbon in the quarterfinals, the first leg being played next week in Turin. They’re also still in the Coppa Italia, where they drew 1-1 at home in the first leg of the semifinal against Inter.

Juventus’ last-six run in all competitions includes a 1-0 win over Freiburg at home, a 4-2 win over Sampdoria at home, a 0-2 win in Freiburg, a 0-1 win away to Inter, a 1-0 win at home over Hellas Verona, and that 1-1 draw against Inter in the Coppa; five wins, one draw, no defeats.

Team News

Striker Moise Kean is suspended through a yellow card accumulation. Midfielder Paul Pogba and defender Leonardo Bonucci are coming close to full fitness, but neither will make the starting XI just yet; a place on the bench is probably the best they can hope for on Saturday, and they’ll probably be joined there by winger Federico Chiesa, who is still struggling with injury issues of his own.

With Wojciech Szczesny in goal, the trio of Danilo, Gleison Bremer and Alex Sandro should form the back line. Adrien Rabiot will pair up with Manuel Locatelli in the middle of the park, where they’ll be joined by Nicolo Fagioli. Juan Cuadrado and Filip Kostic will be both attacking and defending out wide, and looking to whip in useful crosses for forwards Angel Di Maria and Dusan Vlahovic.

Conclusion

This will be a contest between two arguably most in-form teams in the Italian Serie A at the moment, which means there should be some great football played at the Olimpico. A share of the spoils between them seems the likeliest outcome.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 39/20

Bookmaker: Unibet