Lazio travel to face Udinese at the new Stadio Friuli in Serie A on Sunday afternoon looking to add some much needed consistency to their season.
The Biancocelesti recently beat Chievo 4-1 at the Stadio Olimpico, thanks to an Antonio Candreva brace and goals from Danilo Cataldi and Keita Balde Diao. Stefano Pioli’s men are unbeaten in their last six league outings, putting together 12 points and slowly catching up with the top teams.
Meanwhile, the Zebrette on the other hand are going through a difficult period, having lost their last three games against Carpi, Juventus and Palermo, conceding 10 goals and scoring just two. Stefano Colantuono admitted his team are “ruining all the good things done so far” and “still have to fight to avoid relegation”, as they sit just six points clear of the drop zone.
The last time the two sides met was in December, when Lazio beat the Bianconeri Friuliani 2-1 in the Coppa Italia round of 32. Last season saw two away wins in this fixture, with the visitors snatching a 1-0 victories on both occasions. The last encounter in Serie A saw Pioli’s men take all three points thanks to an Alessandro Matri double back in September.
Matri is unlikely to start on Sunday, as Filip Djordjevic leads the attacking line alongside Balde Diao Keita and Candreva. Pioli won’t be able to count on several crucial players, as both Stefan Radu and Senad Lulic are banned, whilst captain Lucas Biglia, goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and Mauricio, Santiago Gentiletti, Wesley Hoedt and Stefan De Vrij are all sidelined with injuries. This means Pioli will have to reinvent his back four, with Abdoulay Konko likely to start at centre-back.
Colantuono will have to play without Antonio Di Natale, Maurizio Domizzi and Alexander Merkel, all of whom are injured, but can count on his usual starting eleven led by Duvan Zapata and Cyril Thereau to try and lift his team out of trouble.
Form Guide: Udinese (W-W-L-L-L) – Lazio (W-D-W-D-W)
Expected Starting XIs:
Udinese (3-5-2): Karnezis; Wague, Danilo, Felipe; Widmer, Badu, Lodi, Fernandes, Edenilson; Zapata, Thereau.
Lazio (4-3-3): Berisha; Basta, Konko, Bisevac, Braafheid; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Parolo; Candreva, Djordjevic, Keita.
Infographic Source: www.sporticos.com
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com