Serie A Showdown: Lazio Hosts Juventus in Crucial Match
In a highly anticipated Serie A match, Lazio is set to host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico, with both teams vying for a spot in the Champions League. The match, scheduled to kick off at 17:00 UK time, promises to be an intense encounter.
According to Football Italia, Juventus is hoping that Randal Kolo Muani and Nico Gonzalez can help them secure a win against Lazio’s Taty Castellanos and Mattia Zaccagni. The race for a Champions League spot is heating up, with Juventus, Lazio, and Roma all tied on 63 points.
Bologna’s loss to Milan last night has left them on 62 points, while Milan has climbed to 60 points. Fiorentina, with a game in hand, is on 59 points. Football Italia reports that Marco Baroni’s side, Lazio, is unbeaten in six matches, including a 1-0 victory over Atalanta.
Lazio’s Elseid Hysaj is suspended, while Nuno Tavares and Patric are injured. Adam Marusic has returned to the squad after a knock and is expected to start at right-back, with Luca Pellegrini moving to left-back.
Football Italia states that Igor Tudor, Lazio’s coach, returns to face his former club, Juventus, for the first time since leaving last summer. Tudor had a brief stint as Juventus’ coach, replacing Maurizio Sarri.
Juventus is still missing several key players, including Teun Koopmeiners, Lloyd Kelly, Andrea Cambiaso, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, Arek Milik, and suspended Kenan Yildiz. Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Gatti are back in the team but only fit for the bench.
Kolo Muani is expected to lead the attack for Juventus, with support from Nico Gonzalez and Weston McKennie. January signing Alberto Costa will start at right wing-back.
The source provides the official line-ups for the match:
Lazio: Mandas; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen, Dele-Bashiru, Zaccagni; Castellanos
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Veiga, Savona; Alberto Costa, McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Weah; Nico Gonzalez, Kolo Muani
The match could prove crucial in determining the final Champions League spots, with Juventus and Lazio separated by a single point in the standings. As Football Italia notes, if two teams are level on points in Serie A, they are separated by head-to-head record, then goal difference.
The result of this match could have significant implications for the Serie A table, and fans can expect an intense and closely contested encounter between two top-tier teams.
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