Prediction: Lazio vs Sassuolo

Verdict: Lazio to lead at halftime

Best odds: 1.78

Bookmaker: ZetBet

Lazio welcome relegated Sassuolo at the Olympic Stadium in Rome hoping to cap the season with a victory in front of their loyal supporters. It is anticipated that fans will swarm the stadium to cheer on their teams’ achievement of securing a presence in the next season of the Europa League.

Lazio

Despite a strong start to the campaign with great results domestically and abroad culminating in a 1-0 home win in the knockout phase of the Champions League against Bayern Munich, a single win in five games ended Maurizio Sarri’s tenure in the capital. The multi-awarded experienced manager resigned after his team suffered a heavy blow at home against Udinese (1-2), leaving Lazio out of the European positions fight.

Igor Tudor was appointed the new boss, with the former Udinese and Marseille manager given the difficult task of getting Lazio back on track. The Croatian coach’s instant impact on his team was evident due to his tactical masterplan in the home game against Juventus which saw Lazio narrowly edging (1-0) the 36 Scudetto winners.

However, the clash between the two sides was about to repeat in the following weeks when Lazio and Juventus played a doubleheader knockout semifinal Cup battle. Despite winning the 1st leg at Olympico (2-1) and starting the second leg as favourites to reach the final, Igor Tudor’s team surrendered in Turin leaving Juventus to progress in the final stage after a devastating 2-0 defeat.

Because the Serie A season finale was approaching fast, Lazio bounced back quickly with impressive results that propelled the team into contention to qualify for the next season of the Europa League. Furthermore, The Eagles had an impressive run in the last eight rounds suffering a single defeat in the Derby della Capitale against bitter rivals AS Roma.

Although Lazio was close to shock the newly crowned Serie A champions Inter at Giuseppe Meazza by taking the lead at halftime, Simone Inzaghi’s side delivered his former team a late blow for a stalemate conclusion (1-1).

Team News

Experienced goalkeeper Luigi Seppe is the only unavailable player from Lazio’s camp. Igor Tudor expects his players to win against Sassuolo before celebrating alongside their fans a season finale that culminated with Lazio qualifying to play in the Europa League.

Sassuolo

Sassuolo had a heartbreaking season that culminated with their 2-0 painful home loss to Cagliari on Sunday, permanently sealing their survival hopes, dropping the team to the second division after  11 years in Serie A. Despite a shock win at Meazza against champions Inter (1-0), the visitors failed to keep the high tempo in the following games.

The lack of mental strength was once again Sassuolo’s weakness displayed at Genoa, where despite taking the lead before halftime, a second-term crash saw the hosts inflicting a painful defeat to Sassuolo (2-1 final score). More so, what should have been the game of the season for Davide Ballardini’s side at Mapei Stadium when survival was yet possible, Sassuolo received the final knockout punch against relegation contenders Cagliari.

The fans kept their hopes until late in the game when they witnessed their favourites conceding in the 71-minute and a final strike in the stoppage time that ended Sassuolos’s Serie A adventure. A similar scenario is expected to unfold at Olympico where Lazio is anticipated to assert domination during the entire game and get a comfortable win.

Team News

Right-wingers Domenico Berardi and Samu Castillejo will not take the trip to Rome following devastating injuries sustained in April. While Samu Castillejo’s recovery is progressing well, Domenico Berardi’s Achilles tendon injury will see him out until October.

Key factors to consider

• Lazio recovered greatly after Maurizio Sarri’s departure, with the new boss Igor Turdo guiding his team to a 7th-place finish
• An impressive run of nine games (W6D2L1) assured Lazio’s presence in the next season of the Europa League
• Lazio scored in all of their last six Serie A games
• Sassuolo is relegated to Serie B after 11 years
• The visitors late fall against Genoa and Cagliari sealed their Serie A fate
• Davide Ballardini’s side conceded on average 2 goals per game

Conclusion

We anticipate Lazio to defeat demoted Sassuolo with ease and round off their season on a positive note. The team led by Igor Tudor has the opportunity to build on their 4-1 victory over Salernitana, which was their best home domestic result of this campaign.

Verdict: Lazio to lead at halftime

Best odds: 1.78

Bookmaker: ZetBet