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Two of Serie A's top goalscorers in Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo, with 28 goals, and Lazio's Ciro Immobile, with 29, will go up against one another when league leaders Juventus play hosts to fourth-placed Lazio on Monday night.
The game was touted by many as the showdown for this season's Scudetto when the lockdown was imposed, as only a single point separated the two powerhouses of Italian football at the top of the table. But Lazio have slipped to the fourth position with 69 points since Serie A resumed, and a defeat here can conclusively bring an end to their title hopes for the season.
Juventus have held on to the top spot in the league standings with 77 points despite a poor run of form in the league recently, which saw the Old Lady dropping points three games in a row for the first time this season. Lazio, on the other hand, have lost three and drawn one game in their last four outings.
So, with both of these clubs looking to shake off the string of bad luck in their upcoming fixture, we take a look at what to expect from this blockbuster top of the table clash.
Juventus vs Lazio Head-to-Head
Juventus vs Lazio is the third most-played fixture in the Italian top-flight for I Bianconeri behind Juventus Vs Inter Milan and Juventus vs AS Roma. The opponents have faced each other 151 times in Serie A, with Juventus winning 81 games, Lazio bagging 34 wins and 36 games ending in a stalemate.
Lazio have been giving a tough fight to the hosts in their recent encounters, managing two wins in the last five meetings after failing to record a single win over them between December 2003 and October 2017.
The capital club has beaten Juve twice already this season, 3-1 in the reverse fixture and with the same margin to win the Italian Supercup in December. Interestingly, I Biancocelesti have not beaten Juventus home and away in a single Serie A season since 1942-43.
Juventus form guide: DDLWWW.
Lazio form guide: DLLLLW.
Juventus vs Lazio Team News
Juventus:
Juventus have had at least one of their players suspended for their games for the last few weeks. This time around, it is winger Federico Bernardeschi who will be out of the fixture after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Sassuolo.
Juan Cuadrado returns from a suspension of his own and will take assume his duties on the right side of the defence, while it is expected that Douglas Costa will fill in for the suspended Bernardeschi.
Defender Giorgio Chiellini was subbed off after the first half in their previous fixture, possibly due to a calf strain and did not take part in their first training session. It is unlikely that the veteran defender will start in the game.
Mattia De Sciglio and Sami Khedira are long-term absentees and continue to recover from their thigh injuries.
Rodrigo Bentancur, Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt each went through pre-planned personalised training sessions and are expected to be named in the starting XI by Maurizio Sarri.
Injuries: Mattia De Sciglio (thigh), Sami Khedira (thigh).
Doubtful: Giorgio Chiellini (match fitness).
Suspensions: Federico Bernardeschi.
Lazio:
Simeone Inghazi's squad is stretched thin due to an injury crisis at the club that has seen as many as five first-team players end up on the sidelines, with defender Stefan Radu being the latest addition to the list.
Patric saw his four-game ban, imposed for biting Giulio Donati during the 2-1 defeat to Lecce, reduced to three by Serie A’s Court of Appeal and will miss out against Juventus in this key fixture, but can start against Cagliari on July 23.
Currently, Senad Lulic, Adam Marusic, Joaquin Correa and Lucas Leiva are out with injuries and their recoveries are expected to be completed only after the season is over.
Injuries: Senad Lulic (Ankle), Adam Marusic (Fitness), Joaquin Correa (Knee), Lucas Leiva (Knee)
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: Patric.
Juventus vs Lazio Predicted XI
Juventus Predicted XI (4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Matthijs De Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Adrien Rabiot, Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentancur; Cristiano Ronaldo, Douglas Costa, Paulo Dybala.
Lazio Predicted XI (3-5-2): Thomas Strakosha; Bastos, Francesco Acerbi, Luiz Felipe; Manuel Lazzari, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Marco Parolo, Luis Alberto, Jordan Lukaku; Ciro Immobile, Felipe Caicedo.
Juventus vs Lazio Prediction
Juventus have struggled in the recent games, especially at the back. But they have been scoring goals consistently and the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo can cause problems for Lazio, who play with a three-man defence.
The visitors have been plagued by an injury crisis and thus have had limited options to rotate between each fixture in such a crammed schedule. The fatigue has played a role in their three back-to-back losses and can again prove to be an Achilles' heel for them at the Allianz Stadium on Monday night.
Goals have come few and far between for Ciro Immobile and the drop in his form has left his side struggling in the final third.
Juventus would be looking to get back to winning ways and a win over Lazio, who have already beaten them twice this season, would be a perfect way to do so. A fit squad and a motivated Ronaldo, who can overtake Immobile in the Capocannoniere race, indicate a win is on the cards for the hosts on Monday night.
Final Verdict:- Juventus 3-1 Lazio.
