Lazio on the road

A 3-1 defeat away at Milan kicked off Lazio's 2014/15 campaign on a sour note, with Rossoneri defender Alex’s own goal midway through the second half proving a mere consolation for Stefano Pioli’s men.

One loss soon became two as Mauricio Pinilla’s strike three minutes from time ensured a 1-0 triumph for Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Marassi back in September.

The Biancocelesti, however, soon stopped the rot in some style by dispatching Palermo 4-0 in Sicily just a week later. Filip Djordjevic hit a 38-minute hat-trick while Marco Parolo added gloss to the scoreline deep into stoppage time at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Djordjevic then bagged his fourth goal in two away matches when he opened the scoring during Lazio’s next outing, a 2-0 triumph over Fiorentina in Tuscany midway through October.

Pioli’s men subsequently endured a three-game winless streak, succumbing to a 2-1 loss in Empoli at the start of November, an encounter sandwiched in between stalemates at Verona (1-1) and Chievo (0-0).

Lazio’s final two away matches of 2014 proved a mixed bag, with the Biancocelesti first ruling victorious over Parma (2-1) before then letting a two-goal lead slip against Inter, as the Nerazzurri bounced back to draw 2-2 at the San Siro.

That same feat was repeated in their opening match on the road of the new year, after Francesco Totti’s double had cancelled out captain Stefano Mauri and Felipe Anderson’s earlier strikes in a 2-2 stalemate with Derby Della Capitale rivals Roma.

A narrow 2-1 loss to Cesena in Emilia-Romagna on the first day of February soon followed, before former Bianconero Antonio Candreva’s spot-kick was enough for all three points in a 1-0 triumph away at Udinese two weeks later.

And that win in Udine seemed to spur Pioli’s charges on in their subsequent games as they took all three points against Sassuolo (3-0), Torino (2-0) and Cagliari (3-1) throughout March and the beginning of April.

Coupled with their recent results on home soil, the Biancocelesti approach their upcoming encounter with the reigning champions at Juventus Stadium in fine fettle, having strung together eight consecutive domestic victories.

And Pioli’s troops, who have catapulted themselves into second place following their excellent run, will go all out for victory in Turin, as they look to secure their spot in next year's Champions League for the first time since the 2007/08 campaign.