12 November 2022
Juventus see out the year 2022 at home to Lazio this Sunday.
The Matchday 15 fixture, which kicks off at 20:45 CET, is actually the closing encounter of the opening phase of the league before the teams break up for international duty ahead of World Cup Qatar 2022 and is an encounter that due to the positive form of both teams has become a top-four clash.
CURRENT FORM
Lazio started their season like Juventus with only two wins from the first five games, but since that Matchday 5 defeat to Napoli, Maurizio Sarri's side have found their groove and charged up the table. The narrow win over Monza on Thursday pushed the Biancocelesti into second place, ahead of Milan on goal difference.
The Roman outfit have won seven of their last nine outings, succumbing to just one defeat, at home to Salernitana on the eve of the derby. Only leaders Napoli have performed better of the same period when most recently the Biancocelesti have collected wins against Fiorentina, Atalanta and Roma before defeating Monza on Matchday 14.
STAT ANALYSIS
Another comparison with Juventus lies in the strength of Lazio's defence. In the most recent nine league matches, Sarri's team have conceded just three goals, all against Salernitana, and have lost just eight goals all campaign, just one more than Juve, who boast the league's meanest rearguard.
The central defensive partnership of summer arrivals, Alessio Romagnoli and Nicolò Casali, is providing solid cover in front of Ivan Provedel, another player that arrived in the transfer market. Provedel was not originally considered as first choice goalkeeper but grabbed his chance eight minutes into the opening fixture when marquee signing Luís Maximiano was sent off on his Serie A debut.
The recent positive form has not been hampered by the absence of record goalscorer Ciro Immobile. After limping off against Udinese in Matchday 10, the club captain returned to make a late appearance against Monza. Although finding the net in Immobile's stead have been Mattia Zaccagni and Felipe Anderson, the match winner at the Olimpico on Thursday night was 17 year old Argentine talent Luka Romero with his debut Serie A goal.
