The Serie A gets all the more exciting as Lazio welcomes table-toppers Inter Milan to the Stadio Olimpico for their 24th fixture in the Italian league. Though Inter Milan is at the top of the pile with 54 points, Juventus is on level terms at second, while Lazio is third as they’re just a point behind the Juve and Inter.
Inter Milan is on the back of back-to-back wins against Udinese and city rivals Inter Milan in the league but suffered a 1-0 defeat to Napoli in the first leg semi-final of the Coppa Italia. Meanwhile,
Lazio has won three and drawn two from their last five games in Serie A. Having said that, Simone Inzaghi’s side is fresh from a 1-0 win away from home Parma. A win for either side will be pivotal in the context of the title race.
Match Details
Date- Monday, February 17
Kick-Off- 1:15 AM (IST)
Venue- Stadio Olimpico
Lazio
Stefan Radu and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are back from suspension and should be in the starting eleven. Senad Lulic is on the sidelines for the next few weeks due to injury and could make way for Jony. Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo should be leading the line of attack for the hosts. Manuel Lazzari, Lucas Leiva and Alberto are likely to accommodate midfield.
Inter Milan
Lautaro Martinez is expected to lead the attack alongside Romelu Lukaku. Frontline goalkeeper Samir Handanovic misses out for the away side which gives Daniele Padelli the opportunity to start between the sticks. Marcelo Brozovic, Christian Eriksen and Nicolo Barella should feature in midfield. Skriniar, de Vrij and Bastoni should continue as the three-man defence.
LAZ (Expected Playing 11)- Strakosha; Radu, Acerbi, Felipe; Jony, Alberto, Leiva, Milnkovic Savic, Lazzari; Immobile, Caicedo
INT (Expected Playing 11)- Padelli; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Candreva, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen, Young; Lukaku, Martinez
Ciro Immobile has been as prolific as ever for Lazio and has 25 goals, six assists and has a pass accuracy of 76.1% from 1922 minutes in Serie A this season.
Romelu Lukaku can be lethal on the final third for Inter Milan. The centre-forward has 17 goals, two assists and a pass accuracy of 69.6% from 23 appearances this season.
Luis Alberto has been vital in the midfield role for Lazio. Alberto has three goals, 11 assists and a pass accuracy of 85% from 22 appearances this season.
Lautaro Martinez can cause damage alongside Lukaku on the attack. Martinez has 11 goals and an assist from 1493 minutes in the league this season for Inter Milan.
From the last six games between the two sides, Inter Milan has the upper hand with three wins in contrast to Lazio’s two wins. One game has ended on level terms during the process.
With both teams having ample quality in the locker, a high scoring draw could be the possible outcome.
Team 1
Goalkeeper- D Padelli
Defenders- F Acerbi, A Bastoni, S D Vrij
Midfielders- M Lazzari, S Milinkovoic Savic, C Eriksen, M Brozovic
Forwards- C Immobile (C), F Caicedo, R Lukaku (VC)
Team 2
Goalkeeper- D Padelli
Defenders- S Radu, A Bastoni, M Skriniar
Midfielders- S Milinkovic Savic, L Alberto (C), N Barella, A Candreva
Forwards- C Immobile, L Martinez (VC), R Lukaku