Carpi are preparing to welcome Lazio to the Stadio Alberto Braglia on Sunday afternoon, desperate to acquire the necessary points in order to ensure their Serie A safety.
The Falconi are currently sitting just above the relegation line in 17th place, while The Aquile find themselves in the 8th position, with an outside chance of claiming a final Europa League spot.
The Biancorossi have struggled throughout the season and are still fighting against Palermo for the coveted 17th spot. Carpi hold the all-important tie breaker courtesy of their superior goal differential record. Coach Fabrizio Castori saw his side’s three-match unbeaten run come to a screeching halt in their 2-0 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Juventus last week.
On the other side, the Biancocelesti have been highly inconsistent during this campaign. A surprising 2-0 victory against Inter has Simone Inzaghi’s men four points back of Sassuolo in 6th place, a position that could prove to be crucial in attaining Europa League football, should Juventus beat Milan in the Coppa Italia final.
The two sides last met in early January, playing to a scoreless draw at the Stadio Olimpico.
Castori will have nearly a full roster at his disposal, with only Matteo Fedele and Eddy Gnahore out with injury. Presumably, the Biancorossi midfield will be composed by Raphael Martinho, Marco Crimi and Raffaele Bianco, while Lorenzo Lollo will act as attacking support for the only striker, Jerry Mbakogu.
Inzaghi, meanwhile, will have to make do with a decimated squad. Marco Parolo, Stefan De Vrij, Alessandro Matri, Stefan Radu, Mauricio and Ricardo Kishna are among the injured. As a consequence, the Biancocelesti line-up will probably see Wesley Hoedt and Milan Bisevac as central defenders, Abdoulay Konko and Dusan Basta as full-backs, while Senad Lulic, Ogenyi Onazi and Lucas Biglia will take the midfield. The forward line will feature Felipe Anderson, Miroslav Klose and Antonio Candreva.
Form Guide: Carpi (L-W-D-W-L) Lazio (W-W-L-L-W)
Expected Starting XIs:
Carpi: Belec; Zaccardo, Romagnoli, Gagliolo; Sabelli, Crimi, Bianco, Martinho, Letizia; Lollo; Mbakogu.
Lazio: Marchetti; Basta, Bisevac, Hoedt, Konko; Onazi, Lulic, Biglia; Anderson, Candreva, Klose.
Inforgraphic source: www.sporticos.com
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com