Free-scoring Lazio welcome Sturm Graz to the Stadio Olimpico ON Thursday for a UEFA Europa League matchday four encounter in an incredibly tight Group F.
All four sides in the group sit on four points, but a heavy defeat apiece means these two sides currently occupy the bottom two places in the group.
Match preview
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Since Lazio's shocking capitulation in Herning, when Midtjylland stunned the Italian giants by hammering them 5-1, Maurizio Sarri's side have been rampant.
A 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture in Graz last week aside, Lazio have won their other three matches since then by four goals to nil, and starting quickly has been a key facet to their recent successes.
They have been at least two goals up at half time in all of those games, and have found the net in the first 15 minutes in five of their last eight matches, but that is something we have become accustomed to over the years with this Lazio side, which is full of goalscoring talent.
The fact that it is perceived that Ciro Immobile has had a pretty lean start to the season, despite still scoring six goals in nine Serie A matches, sums up the expectation on the Biancocelesti forward line, but opening his account in the Europa League here would be useful if Lazio want to take charge of the group as we enter the second half of the group stage.
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That expectation on the attackers may be down to how generous they are in defence though, because despite winning 4-0 in their last three Serie A games, Cremonese, Spezia and Fiorentina all still managed to have more goal attempts in the respective matches, and Sturm Graz had twice as many in the reverse tie last week.
Like Lazio, Sturm Graz also suffered a damaging defeat on the same night as the Biancocelesti's horror show in Herning, as the Austrian runners-up were beaten 6-0 at De Kuip by Feyenoord, a record defeat in the Europa League competition proper.
However, also like their Italian opponents, they have responded to that adversity brilliantly, and are still unbeaten since that night in Rotterdam.
Three consecutive wins domestically mean they are keeping tabs with Red Bull Salzburg, something which no side in Austria's top flight is usually capable of as they sit just two behinds the superpower of the division.
They have overachieved in the Europa League so far too; coming in as outsiders, they held on for a win over Midtjylland despite ending the game with 10 men, and they were unfortunate to not get more in the tie with Lazio last week on home soil.
One lucky omen for Sturm Graz may be the fact that their only ever win away in Italy in five attempts came here at the Olimpico against Lazio back in 2002, but Imre Szabics's late winner was not enough to prevent a 3-2 aggregate loss on that occasion.
Team News
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Despite not being a regular in the side domestically, Albanian full-back Elseid Hysaj has been a key performer for Lazio in the Europa League, and could replace Manuel Lazzari at right-back from the side that beat Fiorentina.
Centre-back Mario Gila's starts have all been reserved for continental football this season since arriving from Real Madrid over the summer, and he will most likely replace Patric to partner Alessio Romagnoli like he did last week in Graz.
Sarri utilises his two big-hitters in Europe, as Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic have started every Europa League game so far, but the form of Mattia Zaccagni may tempt the manager to include him too, as the wide man has now scored in his last two starts.
Mohamed Fares is still out for Lazio after suffering a serious knee injury while on loan at Genoa last season, but new signing Nicolo Casale could make his European debut here after returning to the bench in the win over Fiorentina, having missed the reverse fixture with a muscle strain.
Jusuf Gazibegovic's red card in Austria last week means the Bosnian defender will miss this clash for Sturm as he serves his one-match suspension, so Sandro Ingolitsch could be given just his third start of the season to deputise at right back.
Vessel Demaku will remain on the sidelines as he recovers from a shoulder injury, but teenage attacker Emanuel Emegha started his first game since scoring the winner against Midtjylland on matchday one at the weekend against Tirol.
Both strikers who started the 0-0 draw last week, Albian Ajeti and William Boving, were replaced at the weekend, with Manprit Sarkaria also coming in, so there is plenty of competition up top and a tough decision for Christian Ilzer to make.
Defensive duo Amadou Dante and David Affengruber were left out entirely for the league match at the weekend, but most likely as a precaution to keep them ready for this fixture. However, Dante's replacement David Schnegg did find the net in their 2-1 win, so has put forward his case to start here too.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provodel; Hysaj, Gila, Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto, Vecino; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni
Sturm Graz possible starting lineup:
Siebenhandl; Ingolitsch, Affengruber, Wuthrich, Dante; Gorenc Stankovic, Hierlander, Prass, Horvat; Ajeti, Emegha
We say: Lazio 3-1 Sturm Graz
Lazio are unbeaten in their last six Europa League home matches, and should keep that run going against bottom seeds Sturm Graz.
Sturm Graz have proved they can compete in this group though, despite being battered by Feyenoord, and may pose Lazio a few problems throughout the night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
