Lazio will look to pick themselves up after midweek disappointment when they welcome Udinese to the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Monday night.
The Biancocelesti were extremely underwhelming in their attempts to hold onto a first-leg lead against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday, losing 3-0 in Germany, with attention now switching back to domestic matters.
Match preview
© Reuters
Maurizio Sarri tried to find the positives following their defeat at the Allianz Arena, stating his side played well in the first half and crediting Bayern for raising their game on the night.
The truth is though, apart from Ciro Immobile's first-half header at 0-0, Lazio barely laid a glove on Thomas Tuchel's side and were deservedly beaten, with Fabio Capello criticising Sarri on Italian TV post-match for refusing to change his system to suit the challenge they were up against.
Form domestically has not been up to scratch for Lazio either of late, as they have fallen to ninth following a defeat to AC Milan last weekend.
A late Noah Okafor goal sealed the three points for the Rossoneri as Lazio lost their heads, having Luca Pellegrini, Matteo Guendouzi and Adam Marusic all sent off in the second half.
That came after a defeat to Fiorentina the week previous, as Sarri's side have also lost to fellow European contenders Bologna and Atalanta in 2024 alone, making it increasingly likely they may miss out on continental football altogether next season.
With the fine performances of Italian sides in Europe, Serie A may get eight spots in Europe next season, but Lazio enter the weekend two points shy of Fiorentina in eighth, while there is an even larger margin between the sides chasing the Champions League places.
Looking more positively, the Coppa Italia can still provide success for the Laziali this season, with a two-legged semi-final against Juventus on the horizon.
© Reuters
On paper, Udinese appear to be the ideal opponents to face when looking to play their way back into form, considering they have won just three of their 27 Serie A matches this season, but all of those victories have been against sides battling near the top.
Astonishing wins away to top-three pair Juventus and AC Milan, as well as a 3-0 thrashing of fourth-placed Bologna remain the only wins this season for Udinese.
Their inability to beat any sides down near the bottom with them has been their undoing, and that hurt them again last weekend, as Gabriele Cioffi's side were held to a 1-1 draw with bottom-of-the-table Salernitana.
Fifteen league draws already this season is an incredible tally, but it means Udinese are just one point above the drop zone heading into the weekend, with 13th and 18th separated by only two points.
Udinese do have a woeful recent record against Lazio though, as they have not beaten their upcoming opponents in front of a crowd since 2014, when the likes of Antonio Di Natale and Bruno Fernandes were donning the black-and-white stripes.
Team News
© Reuters
Last weekend's late madness means Lazio will be without Pellegrini, Guendouzi and Marusic due to suspension here, meaning there will be numerous changes from midweek, as all three started in Munich.
Nicolo Rovella will not be available to replace Guendouzi in midfield, as he remains out, so Daichi Kamada and Danilo Cataldi will battle for a starting spot.
Patric is the other injury absentee for the hosts, so expect Alessio Romagnoli and Mario Gila to keep their places in defence, with Elseid Hysaj and Manuel Lazzari replacing the two suspended full-backs.
Udinese will be able to welcome back Thomas Kristensen after he missed last week's draw following a red card against Genoa.
However, Festy Ebosele's dismissal against Salernitana, and Walace picking up his fifth booking of the season, means the pair will both miss this encounter.
Lazar Samardzic should come back into the midfield for the absent Brazilian, but Enzo Ebosse and Jaka Bijol remain out at the back, while Gerard Deulofeu is also still sidelined with what he has described as a career-threatening knee issue.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Kamada, Vecino, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Perez, Giannetti, Kristensen; Pereyra, Samardzic, Lovric, Payero, Kamara; Thauvin, Lucca
We say: Lazio 2-0 Udinese
A run of 17 games without a win against Lazio in front of a crowd means Udinese are up against it here, while a tally of just three wins all season will provide even less comfort for the visitors.
Despite a poor showing in midweek, and back-to-back league defeats, Lazio will be overriding favourites here, and should take the three points, with all focus now on domestic matters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
