Lazio – Juventus: Lazio’s Bursts of Class Stop Juve’s Late Return (2-1)

Lazio reinforced their second place after a hard-fought game, showing superior determination and attacking quality for longer spells of the match. Juventus remained competitive and found more courage and intensity in the final stages of the match, but a change in formation ultimately proved too late to salvage a draw.
Tactical analysis and match report by Giovanni Cesaroni.

Lazio and Juventus, two of the most in-form teams in Serie A, faced each other at the Stadio Olimpico. Both teams came to this match with the objective of continuing their positive series of results, with Lazio sitting in second place and looking to increase the distance with the other contenders, while Juventus eyed the possibility of an incredible return into the top four fight, despite the 15-points deduction still hanging on their destiny.

As for Lazio, the team seemed to have fully tuned into Maurizio Sarri’s credo, after almost two full seasons under his tenure. The stubborn Lazio’s head coach confirmed his usual 4-3-3 formation, which held the best defensive record in the league with just nineteen goals conceded before the match. In front of goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, the back four was then formed by Alessio Romagnoli and Nicolò Casale as center-backs and Elseid Hysaj and Adam Marusić on the sides, the midfield trio with Danilo Cataldi, Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinković-Savić. Upfront, the two inside-wingers Mattia Zaccagni and Felipe Anderson made the supporting team for the return of the captain Ciro Immobile as center-forward.

Despite not being able to travel to Rome after coming down with the flu, Massimiliano Allegri instructed his Juventus squad to follow the classic 3-5-2 system, with Wojciech Szcz . . .