Prediction: Juventus vs Lazio

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 23/10

Bookmaker: bet365

Juventus and Lazio, as the two teams that won the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia last season, will lock horns in the Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup). The match will take place on Sunday afternoon at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Juventus

The giants from Turin have been undisputed rulers of Italian football since 2011/12, winning the Serie A eight times in a row so far. At the moment, they are locked in battle for the title with the resurgent Inter Milan, who have invested heavily into the team in the recent transfer window to be able to compete with the Old Lady.

Juventus top the table at the moment, three points above Inter, though the Nerazzurri have a game in hand and boast better goal-difference. Maurizio Sari’s team have won 13 of the 17 games played in the league so far, drawing three and losing only one. That one defeat, however, came at the hands of Lazio this very month.

As for the Champions League, the competition that they probably want to win the most this season, Juventus finished the group stages topping Group D comfortably, drawing only away to Atletico Madrid and winning the other five games. They’ve been drawn against Olympique Lyon in the round of 16, but it’s far too early to be thinking about that just yet.

For the club of this size, every trophy is a must, especially on the domestic scene. They will certainly approach this game seriously.

Team News

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and left-back Alex Sandro have both had injuries recently but they’ve both been included in the traveling squad. It remains to be seen if either of them starts. It will also be interesting to see if Sarri picks Merih Demiral ahead of the summer big-money signing Matthijs de Ligt, as he has done for several recent matches.

Lazio

Lazio haven’t done much worse than Juventus in the league this season. They sit third and trail the table-toppers by only six points and that with a game in hand, and while most people believe that reason suggests the race is between Juventus and Inter, it feels utterly unfair to rule Lazio out at this point of the campaign. They’ve been on particularly good form recently, winning their last eight domestic games – including the one already mentioned against Juventus.

On the other hand, their European campaign can only be described as thoroughly disappointing. They played in Group E of the Europa League, also featuring Celtic, CFR Cluj and Rennes, and finished third with four defeats, which means their involvement in the competition has ended. However, should they maintain this form and reach the Champions League next season, they simply won’t care.

Team News

Simone Inzaghi has warned his players against dropping their guard against Juventus, and he is expected to pick the same lineup that beat the Old Lady on December 7th. The coach cannot count on midfielder Adam Marušić and defenders Patric and Jordan Lukaku.

Conclusion

Juventus are always the favorites on paper when playing against any Italian team. However, what most people expect to happen in a game and what actually happens can often be two different things, as the clash of these teams in Rome earlier this month has told us. But this is no league game, there are no second chances after this one. It has to be won one way or the other, or the trophy is gone.

Therefore, both teams are likely to approach the contest with deep caution, and a draw is not an unlikely outcome.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 23/10

Bookmaker: bet365