SS Lazio vs ACF Fiorentina: Serie A Preview and Prediction

Lazio are set to face Fiorentina in the matchday 28 of the 19-20 Serie A season. As things stand, Simone Inzaghi’s team is in the second spot while Giuseppe Lachini’s side are battling relegation in the 14th place. 

The last round of calcio saw the Biancocelesti lose 3-2 to Atalanta while Viola drew 1-1 against Brescia.

Fiorentina’s last win against Lazio came in May 2017 and since then the Biancocelesti have won thrice with two draws too. Lazio have been very strong on home soil this season, winning 11, drawing three and losing none so far at the Stadio Olimpico in the 2019-2020 Serie A season.

Head to Head

Lazio have won 13 from the last 20 meetings between the sides. Fiorentina have only won four times in that duration. 

Now considering the last ten times the sides have faced each other, the Biancocelesti have won six times, while Viola have won twice and there have been two draws.

In the reverse fixture, Lazio defeated Fiorentina, 2-1, at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

One more interesting fact about the fixture is that Lazio have scored 194 goals against Fiorentina in Serie A - the most against any opponent.

When we talk about the managers, Simone Inzaghi has won in each of his three meetings against Giuseppe Iachini.

Recent Form

Lazio will be playing this game after a disappointing one against Atalanta, allowing them to make a come-back from a two-goal lead within the first 15 minutes of the game. 

It was a very entertaining game that Inzaghi’s team played after a three-month lay-off. The loss has put a big dent in their hope to claim their first Scudetto in 20 years as they now trail Juventus, who defeated Lecce, by seven points.

Lazio have lost only once in their last five games in all competitions, including a memorable win over title rivals Internazionale.

Fiorentina have lost only once in their last five games in all competitions too. However, they have managed to win only one out of the remaining four while Lazio have gathered the three points in all their four games.

Viola started the season under Vincenzo Montella but he as sacked in December after winning only one in a stretch of eight games. 

Iachini was then appointed as Montella’s successor and the manager has done a decent job with the team in a short span of time. Fiorentina have won three, drawn five and lost two and are six points clear of Lecce who hold the final relegation spot. 

Team News

The loss against Atalanta was not the only disappointment for Lazio after the game as Joaquin Correa, Stefan Radu and Danilo Cataldi each left the game with injuries, causing more trouble to Inzaghi’s plan.

Lazio were already without the services of Adam Marusic, Lucas Leiva, Luiz Felipe and Senad Lulic and now with depth constraints, Le Aquile may have a tough time to turn the game around in their favor. Ciro Immobile will be under pressure because of this and also for not being scoresheet in the last game.

For Fiorentina, Franck Ribery and Patrick Cutrone, who is on loan from Premier League side Wolves are expected to lead the frontline. Martin Caceres and Federico Chiesa are both suspended and hence will be unavailable for the game.

Key Battles

Ciro Immobile vs German Pezzella

Immobile was extremely unfortunate in not being able to score or assist in Lazio's disappointing performance against Atalanta recently. 

With Cristiano Ronaldo moving closer to him in the capocannoniere race, Immobile will be fired up to make a difference for the injury struck Lazio. 

Fiorentina's German Pezzella has been impressive too, helping his team to six clean sheets. His tackling and clearing the ball can cause problems for Immobile and team, who will be desperate to take the three points. 

Pezzella will be on his toes to make sure his team comes out of the relegation zone without much trouble.

Luis Alberto vs Erick Pulgar

Both playmakers have done an incredible job for their teams. 

Alberto has been on a dream run with four goals and 13 assists and that includes six Man of the Match awards as well. 

Pulgar, too, has done very well considering Fiorentina's position in the league. The Chilean has four assists and four goals and has been very consistent with his performances this season. He has three Man of the Match awards constitutes a huge portion of the passes Fiorentina makes while moving forward. 

Knowing that both the teams will be looking for a win, this battle of the creators on the pitch will be an interesting one.

Prediction

Both sides are in a different scenario, in different positions in the table and hence there will be a lot at stake when the match is concerned. Lazio somewhere, still hope for their first Scudetto while Fiorentina plans to escape relegation. 

Neither team will be looking to give up their ground in the standings, which makes this match more interesting. A tight encounter is expected at the Stadio Olimpico, however, Lazio are still seen as the favorites and should take three points.

Predicted scoreline: Lazio 2-0 Fiorentina