Prediction: Juventus vs Lazio

Verdict: Juventus

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: William Hill

The Serie A champions Juventus go head to head with high-flying Lazio early on Sunday afternoon looking for a swift return to winning ways after a disappointing defeat at the hand of Fiorentina last time out. Biancocelesti, however, are there to ruin their plans and continue their own push towards the top of the table.

Juventus

It has been a week of mixed feeling and emotions for the Juventus family. Max Allegri’s men were given a frustrating blow to their title defence by Fiorentina, who claimed a 2-1 win over the reigning champions thanks to goals from Kalinic and Badelj. On a brighter note, the Italian giants revealed their new club crest last week, causing quite a reaction from the general football public, but at the same time pushing the envelope and creating a vision of football’s future beyond the sport itself. On the back of this important marketing milestone, Bianconeri head into the Lazio clash feeling determined to continue their impressive 26-match winning run at home in order to keep the distance in front of their closest chasers Roma. Juventus are currently on only one-point distance from Giallorossi, but have a game in hand which gives them plenty of advantage over the opposition.

Team News

The hosts are dealing with plenty of selection issues ahead of the match. Benatia and Lemina are out on international duty, whereas Alex Sandro will miss the game through yellow-card suspension.

Dani Alves, Mattiello and Sturaro are all unavailable through their respective injuries.

Lazio

Folowing the mixed fortunes Lazio endured at the beginning of the season, boss Simone Inzaghi managed to steady the ship and make Biancocelesti fairly consistent in their Serie A exploits. Having been appointed a Lazio boss in the summer after talks with Marcelo Bielsa suddenly broke down, Inzaghi grabbed the opportunity with both hands and has excelled in his role, becoming the Lazio coach with best points-per-game ratio. Six wins and only two defeats in Lazio’s last eight league matches allowed Biancocelesti to jump onto the fourth place in the standings, trailing Napoli in third and Roma in second by only one point. A surprise win at Juventus will allow Lazio to remain in contention for the Champions League spots last season, which would honestly be a surprisingly positive outcome of the Lazio’s season. Such a result to the forthcoming game in Turin would be considered a first-class stunt given the fact that Lazio have lost last 6 Serie A clashes with the champions.

Team News

Balde Keita is unavailable for selection due to his Africa Cup of Nations responsibilities with Senegal, while Sead Lulic is also missing the game through yellow card suspension.

Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile have failed to recover from their injuries, but still have some chances of getting fit to feature against Juventus.

Key Factors to Consider

• Juventus have so far won impressive 26 Serie A home matches
• The Old Lady won their last 6 matches against Lazio
• Biancocelesti lost only 2 of their last 10 away matches in the league
• Ciro Immobile scored 11 goals for Lazio this season
• Gonzalo Higuain is leading the Juventus charts with 13 goals to his name

Conclusion

Juventus have been utterly dominant over Lazio having won their last 6 league meetings and we are prone to think the trend will continue. The Old Lady was given a slap in the face by Fiorentina last time out and Max Allegri’s men are expected to make a response.

Verdict: Juventus

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: William Hill