Prediction: Juventus vs Lazio

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: bet365

Stadio Olimpico in Rome will be the venue for the Italian Super Cup match that will see Serie A champions Juventus take on Coppa Italia runners-up Lazio. With the new league campaign set to kick off next weekend, the match will serve as a good opportunity for both sides to test their form ahead of competitive battles in Serie A.

Juventus

Juventus came incredibly close to enjoying a perfect season last term as they won the domestic double while finishing as runners up in the Champions League. According to his own admission, head coach Max Allegri shortly thought about quitting in the aftermath of the 4-1 loss to Real Madrid, but he eventually decided to stay and attempt to make things right this term. While losing Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves, and letting Mario Lemina leave, the Bianconeri did well to reinforce their ranks with Douglas Costa, Mattia De Sciglio, Federico Bernardeschi, Rodrigo Bentancur and Mattia De Sciglio, but they are still in the market for midfield reinforcements. Juventus had mixed success in pre-season friendlies, defeating AS Roma and PSG, while losing to Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, but those results will not matter much when the competitive action starts. Juventus won three of their last five Italian Super Cup matches, defeating Lazio in 2013 and 2015, while losing to Napoli and AC Milan on penalties and defeating the Azzurri after extra time back in 2012.

Team News

Summer recruit Wojciech Szczesny has recovered from an ankle problem, with Juan Cuadrado also back in contention.

Lazio

Lazio haven’t enjoyed a great deal of success over the last few years, but at least they have taken steps in the right direction. The Biancocelesti failed to make the most of a third-place finish in 2014/15, as they were unable to reach the Champions League group stages, and they finished the last two campaigns in 8th and 5th respectively. Lazio chiefs couldn’t prevent star player Lucas Biglia from joining AC Milan and with Balde Diao Keita also set to leave, things are not looking very promising at the moment. The club have so far secured signatures of Adam Marusic, Lucas Leiva, Davide Di Gennaro and Felipe Caicedo, but those are not exactly marquee signings the fans had hoped for. There has been some reason for optimism though as Lazio were pretty convincing in pre-season, defeating Triestina (3-0), SPAL (2-0), Bayer Leverkusen (3-1) and Malaga (1-0), but the Juventus game will be the first real test for Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Team News

Key midfielder Felipe Anderson is a major doubt, with Balde Diao Keita ready to deputise if needed. Bastos misses out through suspension, meaning that Stefan Radu will start at the back.

Key Factors to Consider

• Juventus won last two Super Cup matches against Lazio (4-0, 2-0)
• The Bianconeri won 10 successive games vs Lazio
• The Biancocelesti failed to score in last seven of those fixtures
• Lazio won all four games in pre-season
• Juventus won 6 of last 10 away games on domestic stage (D3 L1)

Conclusion

Even though Lazio looked good in pre-season, they are not exactly well equipped to match star-studded Juventus side and we believe the Bianconeri will make it 11 consecutive wins against their Serie A rivals.

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: bet365